Legend of a Descendant
by fourthfireshadow
Summary: "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." That was a quote which Sakura Haruno always used to believe in, but never got a chance to follow it. 'From today, i'll need to follow it for real then.'
1. prolouge: a legend born

_**Legend of a descendant **_

**-A new start**

"_Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."-James Dean_

On the cold evening of march 28, a girl with unusual pink hair and green eyes was born in a broken down shed in the lightning country. She was bundled up in a torn and used pink blanket and given carefully to the mother. The mother sat watching the child, awed, at the way the child stopped crying, and blinked her doe eyes lazily and yawned, raising her small hands in the air as she did so. When the child made noises resembling laughter, the mother couldn't help but be happy.

'Saori-chan, what are you going to name the child?' asked an elderly woman with silver locks tied up in a messy bun and wrinkles on her skin.

'I don't know, Mameha-chan.' replied Saori. She then set her gaze on the child. She looked at the rose colored patch of hair on her daughters head, similar to her own and the emerald green eyes, always her father's. Decided on the name, she voiced it aloud.

'Sakura. Her name will be Sakura, like the flowers.'

Saori looked at her daughter, both in awe and regret. She was elated at having a child. A child with the man she had loved. But she feared for her life. Sakura's father was one of the known descendants of the senju clan. But he had unfortunately lost his life protecting his comrade. Saori had found out about her pregnancy only a week before he had died. It was a terrible time for her to go through it alone, and though she had no regrets about _having_ her, she did regret the life she was going to live.

'That's a good choice. Sakura. Suits her hair. But what of her last name? are you going with senju or-?'

'No, I don't believe that would be a god idea. Senju is, after all a well-known name. it would only bring suspicions. I wish to avoid that. She will have my name. Her name will be Haruno Sakura.'

'Field of cherry blossoms. Fits her quite well. But where are you going to go now? You obviously can't go to kumogakure, seeing as they branded you traitor for running of with the senju, in these times of war. Your best bet would be konohagakure.'

'I am not going to the place where my love died! I refuse! And I do not want sakura to associated with any_ shinobi!'_ she snapped, venom dripping from the word shinobi.

'But you do realize that sakura has shinobi blood running through her veins. And not just that, but her father was a descendent of the senju clan!. I know enough to know that the senju was a very powerful clan.' Her mother replied back, just as harshly.

Saori frowned. She had not thought about that. She knew that there was a high possibility that this could be true.

Hideyoshi senju was a powerful shinobi. One of the best there was. He was right next to konoha's own yellow flash, Minato namikaze. In fact, they were best friends, teammates. He was well known for his powerful water jutsus, signaling his link to the late Nidaime, Tobirama senju, who was well known for his water affinity nin-jutsu. Hideyoshi was a respected man and he had only lost his life at the ripe age of twenty-three because he had sacrificed himself to save his comrades.

Saori remembered him personally. They had me in the lightning country, where she was residing at the time. He was visiting on a mission. She remembered him vividly. Tousled dark blonde hair, looking windswept. Clear deep emerald green eyes boring right into your soul, chiseled jaw and high cheekbones. _He was breathtaking._

They had met on some coincidence. Sparks flew and she was at the happiest she had ever been in. they were together for almost a year before he had taken the mission which had ruined everything. He never got a chance to see their beautiful daughter. He had been so excited about having a child. Almost bouncing with energy, only telling his closest and trusted friends.

Feeling her eyes itch, Saori blinked to keep the tears at bay. Remembering old memories would not do any good, she told herself.

'I am going to take Sakura with me to a civilian village, where there's less harm. Most likely to the village of rice paddies. I plan to keep her heritage a secret till necessary. If she starts showing any signs of abnormality, I will think of taking her to Konohagakure. But I pray that that won't be needed' she said stiffly.

'Having inherited his will is a good thing for her, and if she is lucky, she may also get your abili-'

'I do not want to hear it, Mameha-chan! I do not want her to live _that _life. They think that violence is the key to everything. But it only brings pain. I know it too well.'

When the first sound of whimpering were heard from Sakura, Saori swiftly got up and started rocking her back and forth in her arms, whispering to her that everything was going to be alright.

'I'll go get your things ready for your trip to the land of rice fields.' Mameha told Saori over the whimpering.

'Oh, arigatou gozaimasu, Mameha-chan!' Saori exclaimed gratefully. Taking hold of her hands, she told Mameha- 'you really have helped me in these past few days. Helping me in running away and my child's birth-'she stopped, thinking of a way to show her gratitude.

'If- if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I will do whatever I can. Thank you for being the bestest friend I could ever have.' She told her earnestly.

' it's no problem at all, Saori-chan! You know that! We're best friends. I'd do anything.' She replied.

Touched, Saori gave Mameha a hug and whispered a thank you to her before letting go. Turning, she picked up a crying sakura and whispered soothingly in her ear-

'shhh,don't cry my little angel,I promise everything's going to turn out fine.

When saori's back was turned, she didn't see mameha looking at the now consoled child with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Saori packed whatever was left of her belongings in a tattered travel bag, picked sakura up and started her journey to the village of rice paddies. The weather was biting, but she carried through, sakura oddly staying quiet throughout the whole journey. Once she saw a path leading directly to the village, she sighed in relief and quickly hurried along until she found rows and rows of seemingly never ending rows of rice crops.

Nearly sagging in relief, she tiredly walked until she found a quaint little hut. Walking a little faster and clutching sakura a little tighter, making her release a whimper; she reached the hut and tentatively knocked twice on the old wooden door.

The door creaked as it opened. An old woman with a kind face peeped out to look out at the new arriver.

'yes? What is it?' she asked, but not unkindly.

'I'm sorry for disturbing you, so late at night. I have travelled a long distance to reach here and I was hoping to get some shelter for tonight.' Saori replied, her breathing slightly labored. She desperately hoped the older woman would allow her request to rest for a while. She was tired and her arms felt like lead carrying sakura the whole while.

The woman peered over at the beautiful young woman in tattered clothing and the sleeping newborn baby tucked away safely in her arms. Feeling pity, she opened the door wider to allow the woman to come in.

Sending a thankful look to the older woman, she stepped into the small and dark interior of the house. She looked around, her hazel eyes roaming, and saw only a small table with a few books, a sink and a futon in the corner. It seemed as if she lived alone and in poverty.

The older woman gestured to saori to sit down on the futon. Not going to refuse, she sat down and carefully set the still sleeping sakura down on the edge. She then started to rub her aching muscles.

'What is your name, dear?' the woman asked saori.

'My name is Saori and this is my daughter, sakura. We have just travelled from lightning country. I had made a decision to leave the country as it wasn't a safe place to raise a child. I wanted to bring my daughter away from a place of bloodshed and bring her to a safer place where she could live a normal life.' She told her.

The older woman peered over to the sleeping child and after a few seconds, looked back at saori with a twinkle in her eye, as if she knew something she didn't. It was unnerving.

'Dear, the land of rice fields may seem safe, but nowadays, even these lands are being hunted down by the shinobi. But, for taking these lands, they are offering protection to the people. That's why our village's daimyo , Noboru Hayate, agreed to sell parts of these lands. Don't know why, it not as if the great countries aren't big enough.' She replied, muttering in the end under her breath.

After hearing this, Saori frowned. It seemed she couldn't get away from these shinobi that bought her so much pain. And to make matters worse, if these shinobi were from lightning, she would be found out for sure.

The older woman, seeing the frown, went on to say –

'You do not have to worry about the shinobi,dear. They are rarely seen and even if they are, they are mostly so fast, you completely miss them.'

This made Saori a little relieved about coming here. But it did not ease all the worries in her heart. Mainly revolving on Sakura's life.

'Arigatou for all the information. Now I just need a place to stay and a job to earn' she said the last part mostly to herself.

'Saori-san, even though we have only met, I would be glad to offer you shelter. My home may not be much, but it is better than many houses you will find in this land where poverty is severe. I know I have not introduced myself properly, and for that I apologize. My name is Nashiko Fujiwara. And as for the job, the most common work available here is workers needed for the cultivation of the crops. It's a tiring a job, but the pay is good to a earn a living here.' She offered to Saori kindly.

Saori blinked. She had not expected that. A surge of relief and gratitude rushed in her like a waterull and she almost fell to her knees. Now, she did not have to search for days on end for a house and for a could all be taken care of. Holding herself up, she looked at Nashiko-

'Fujiwara-san, arigatou gozaimasu. I am forever in your debt.' She told her, sincerity in her eyes.

Nashiko smiled and gazed kindly. In a soft voice, she replied back-

'Please, saori-san, it is nothing. I would greatly appreciate the company in this lonely house. It is the least I can do to help someone in these times. And please, call me Nashiko.'

Saori smiled and nodded.

When Nashiko had gone to sleep in the bedroom connected to the living room, Saori looked at the now wide awake sakura.

'Sakura-chan, I love you so much.'

'Mmhm…goowah'

Saori laughed at the cute sounds made by her daughter.

'I hope that even though you may not lead an easy life, it would be a happy life, tenshi' Saori told her daughter, her gaze the softest it's been.

_So that's my first chapter. Sorry if it was a little boring but this is just the prologue. Its about the beginning of sakuras life. Of course its different. Shes literally a senju now. I promise from the next chapter its going to get a little bit more interesting. But im pretty sure sasuke and the others wont come until either the 3__rd__ or 4__th__ chapter. But be patient._

_Saori is the mother of sakura and hideyoshi senju is the was kind of like a forbidden love story for them, since saori is from the lightning country and hideyoshi is from fire. But they loved each other. Saori hates shinobi because she blames them for hideyoshi's death._

_The next chapter will be fast forward a few years. Probably when sakura's 6._

_Anyway,please review and add to favourites!i'll try to update by tomorrow or day-after maximum!_

_-fourthfireshadow-_


	2. shinobi and kunoichi

_**Legend of a descendant **_

**-Shinobi and kunoichi**

**-"**_**The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity"-**__**Dorothy Parker**_

_**6 years later-**_

'Sakura!'

Saori looked around for her troublesome daughter. Where is she? She thought, frustrated.

'Oh kami-sama, don't tell me she ran away again! Chikashou!'

Some miles away, Sakura was having the time of her life running away from an old lady. She was guilty that she had stepped on the lady's cat, it was an accident after all, and the lady was quite terrifying, with her frizzy hair sticking up on all sides, a mole on the side of her face and a broomstick clutched in her hand . But even though she was terrifying, she had never run this freely.

She was exhilarated. She felt so free with the way the wind was whipping through her hair. Her laugh could be heard a distance away. Though this just further aggravated the lady running after her.

Seeing a narrow alley in the path she was running in, she quickly changed her direction and slipped into the alleyway. A quick look behind her confirmed that the old lady had given up on chasing her.

When she was about to leave the dingy alleyway, she stopped_. 'Her curiosity would be her downfall' _her mother always used to say.

Her deep green eyes roaming on the brick wall of the alley, she cautiously started walking through. The alley was dark, she noted, but there was a line of light at the end. Curious, she forgot about cautiousness and ran to where the light was. Panting a bit, she saw the end, and she was in awe.

It was a field of crops. Though this was regular scenery for her, this particular field stood out somehow. The crops looked a dazzling golden from the sunlight and it was swaying lightly in the direction of the wind. The crops were bigger than her, she realized.

Making her way through the rice crops, she reached a clearing. There was a huge pond with sparkling water there.

_Sugoi.. _She thought in awe. Recklessly, she started to run, abandoning any thoughts of caution. There were boulders in the pond, acting as a bridge, though the rocks were far apart. Not giving any thought to that, she stood on the first rock. She attempted to jump to the next, and had almost succeeded ,but as she placed her foot on the rock, it slipped.

'Aaaahhh!' she screamed as she fell into the water. She tried flapping her arms in the water, but it did not give her any leverage. She was running out of breath and was sinking deeper._ It's deeper than I thought..!_

When she started losing her breath, dark spots appears in her vision.

_What do I do? what do I do?_

Rapidly losing hope, she tried to keep her mind off it. Suddenly, she felt a hot soothing sensation travelling from her stomach to her chest to the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes. She saw bubbles forming around her and she felt herself floating higher and higher.

_What is this?_

She could feel herself rising.. trusting herself, she remained calm, or as calm as she could be. She opened her eyes and looked around herself. She saw the bubbles, and something light blue radiating off her. She could feel her mind going into a panic and forced herself to calm down. She was sure this only happened in stories!

The warm soothing sensation felt like it was in her whole nervous system. She could feel it getting hotter and hotter. Almost at the point of burning, she desperately started moving her hands in an upwards motion. When the sensation turned to almost unbearable, she used all her will power to move faster to the surface of the water, which she knew was only a few feet above.

_Come on, come on!_

With a sudden burst of strength, she shot up from underneath the water. Coughing and spluttering, she used whatever remaining energy she had to hoist herself to land.

Panting. She dragged herself a little ways away from the water and just laid there. She was suddenly drained fully of energy. So much so, that it was almost painful even to bring her hand to head.

_How did I do that?...what _was_ it? What-?_

Millions of thoughts and question raced in her head, questions she knew she would definitely find the answers to. But for now, she had a splitting headache and was dead tired.

The last thing she heard before succumbing to sleep was someone screaming her name almost desperately.

'Sakura? Sakura! Answer me!'

When Saori had first heard of what had transpired between her neighbor Mutsuki Tatsue, her cat and Sakura, she felt embarrassed and amused. But when Sakura did not return soon, she became worried.

Mutsuki-san had told her that Sakura had run into the alleyway next to the town square, but she did not worry much as she knew that Sakura knew her way around the village, God knows how much she ran away from home to explore, but when she didn't come home after a few minutes, she started to get worried. Something bad was happening. A mother's instinct is never wrong.

Rushing out of the house, saying a quick 'I'll be back soon.' To Nashiko, Saori went to the alley and reached the clearing. What she saw there nearly gave her a heart attack.

'Sakura! Sakura!'

Sakura was lying on the ground cold, shivering and wet. She was pale and her lips were turning an unhealthy shade of blue. But that wasn't what was unusual. There was light blue aura around her. It couldn't be seen if you weren't looking closely, but it was there.

At that moment, Saori knew the moment will come when Sakura will ask about her ninja heritage, and she was dreading it.

Now at the time being, she decided to focus on the present. Tenderly, she lifted Sakura from the ground and held her close the entire journey home.

Humming..

As Sakura regained consciousness, she heard humming. She recognized her mom humming one of the lullabyes she used to sing to get Sakura to sleep. It was a melodious harmony that never failed to soothe her nerves.

When Sakura opened her eyes, she saw the cracking mud brown ceiling of her house. Squinting from the sunlight, she blearily blinked her eyes and rubbed the sand off.

'uuughhhn' she groaned lazily, flipping to the side and lifting her hand to her head to massage her throbbing temples. She then removed her hands from her face and stared into space for some moments.

'Are you alright, tenshi?' her voice reached Sakura.

Sakura turned to her side and gazed at her mother.

_She was a beautiful woman,_ she thought. Long rosette locks left loose, amber eyes and a heart shaped face. It was obvious she used to be. But now, her rose lock which used to be full of life was dull and hanging almost lifelessly ,tangled. Her skin had spots and wrinkles near the eyes. And her eyes, which always used to twinkle, did not do much anymore.

She does smile and laugh, but most of the times, they're not genuine. It never reached her eyes. Sakura knew her mother was unhappy most of the time, and she often felt guilty for no particular reason.

Next to her mother, was Sakura's lovable aunt, Nashiko obaa-chan. She always supported sakura in everything she wanted to do and was never unkind to her. Sakura was aware that Nashiko baa-chan was not her blood relative, but she loved her like one, if not more. She was a wise eighty four year old woman who had a childlike personality and was always kind to her.

But now she gazed at Sakura with a worried gaze, further accentuating the wrinkles on her bony face.

'Are you okay, dear? You gave us quite a scare, let me tell you that!' she told her, while handing Sakura a glass of water, when she saw that she couldn't speak due to her dry throat.

With the cool water running down her throat, Sakura felt slightly less drained of energy. When she tried to sit up, she found that she felt oddly uncomfortable doing it. Seeing this, Saori got up and helped her take a more comfortable position. Sending her mother a thankful gaze, she sat up and hurriedly sent her gaze to her hands on her lap, which were nervously twining with each other. She nervously waited for the inevitable interrogation that would follow.

'What the heck happened? Why were you in an alley in the first place? Forget the alleyway, why were you unconscious and half dead the time I found you? Huh?' saori yelled at her. She couldn't help it. She was worried sick and was sure that incident had taken a few years of her life.

Sakura flinched when she heard her mother's loud and angry voice. She continued to gaze at her hands, too scared to look at her mother. Her mother continued to rant and yell, but halfway, her mind began to wander.

_How am I alive right now? Logically, I'm supposed to be dead! But… I'm not. That's not possible for normal civilians. Unless I'm a…..no. mother would've told me if that were true. But whenever I bring it up, she does always distract me. She may think I never notice, but I do. I'm not stupid.._

'-nd you always-? Sakura? Sakura! Are you listening to me?' Saori snapped.

Sakura cringed and muttered a tentative 'yeah?'

Saori saw through the lie and glared at her daughter and after a few moments , she sighed. She slumped forward.

'I give up. No matter what I say, you don't listen to me anyway.' She said in a soft voice.

Startled by her mood change, Sakura looked at her mother in the eye and almost started crying right there and then.

She could handle anger. She could handle frustration and annoyance. But she never could handle disappointment. It seemed as if her mother had given up. As if she had resigned to some fate.

_Given up on what?_

Her mother then walked out of the living room, leaving Sakura and Nashiko-baa-chan.

'I'm not going to yell or scream, but you have got to understand the situation here, kura. Your mother and I were worried sick. She looked about to cry when she was carrying your half dead form. I know you didn't mean to do it, I'm just trying to show you her point of view.'

Baa-chan ruffled Sakura's hair on the way out as a sign of comfort. But it did comfort her,it just made her more guilty.

_I'm sorry mom for worrying you, but I'm not sorry for what happened today. If what I'm assuming about myself is true, then it will open a lot of opportunities for me. And you'll have a lot to explain too._

_I think I'll head to the library to see if there are any books or information on what happened today.._

Sakura was not stupid. She was in reality a very intellectual person. She was pretty sure she was one of the most intelligent people in the village, if not _the _most. She loved to read. She used to love books from the first time her mother read her a bedtime story. She was fascinated the way a book held so much information. Therefore, she took it as her personal mission to finish learning how to read as soon as possible. She finished by the time she was 3 ½. Now she could read whatever she wanted to, only at the age of six.

It was easy to gain access to the local library, she was a regular there. Everyone knew the little girl with the pink hair who loved to read.

Walking along the big wooden shelves filled with books, she cursed her short height.

She walked along, pretending to look at some books of fairytales, whereas in actuality, she was searching for any books related to ninja's.

Ever since the incident at the pond in the alley, she had been suspecting this. It wasn't normal for a civilian to do that stunt and she was sure a shinobi could. The village of rice paddies was not a ninja village. It was a civilian one. Therefore, in Sakura's eyes, a boring one. But since she learned that there were some ninja's who occasionally visited the small village, she kept a look-out for them. Rarely was she able to see them, but when she did, she would observe everything about them. Their looks, style and their powers. It used to fascinate her. And now when she found out that she could very well have that power, she was giddy with excitement.

Looking everywhere, she was about to lose hope about the whole thing, when she saw a book lying in the corner of the shelf, dusty. Intrigued, she picked up the book. When she read the title, she was overcome with relief and excitement.

_**A Ninja's Beginning**_

_**(An introduction to the ninja arts)**_

Restless, she hurriedly opened the book and took a random chapter and read the information given.

_**Introduction to Chakra**_

_**To perform techniques, ninja need to use their chakra. Chakra comes from two places: **_

_**(1) the body energy inherent in the trillions of their cells and **_

_**(2) the mental & spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. **_

_**To perform a jutsu, the ninja will bring out and release these two energies. The amount of chakra required for a technique will vary depending upon its size and complexity. Each ninja has the potential to better utilize an elemental Ninjutsu style. For Taijutsu the ninja does not need to necessarily use chakra, as some attacks merely use the stamina required to carry out the attack. For Ninjutsu the ninja's chakra control will determine how much chakra is used on the technique. For ninja with excellent chakra control, they will use the minimum amount with nothing wasted. For ninja with poor chakra control, they will expend more chakra than needed to accomplish their jutsu.**_

_Chakra.. Could it be?_

_**Using Chakra**_

_**Focusing an equal and constant amount of chakra to a portion of the ninja's body allows them to attach their body to the touched object. This would allow them to walk up vertical surfaces. By expelling a continuous set amount from their feet in proportion to their body weight, the ninja can walk on water. Ninja can also focus chakra to specific limbs, which will increase the muscles' power and strength.**_

Chakra can also be extended from the body for attack and defense. This can take the form of the chakra strings used to manipulate puppets and It can also be focused to a fine point for cutting. It can also be used to form a defensive barrier in Chakra no Tate.

_Did…did I unconsciously release chakra..? it does say it could be used for defense. It did defend me from the water. I actually used chakra..! I can't believe I _have_ chakra in the first place. I can't wait to tell mom-_

Sakura abruptly stopped her train of thoughts.

_No. I can't do that. I know mom does not like the ways of the shinobi, it's obvious from the way she glares whenever I bring that particular topic up. 's better to keep this from her. At least for a while._

With that, she made up her mind. She then proceeded to walk towards the checkout counter, her small pink head bobbing up and down , carrying a book weighing almost half as much as her, earning many curious and amused stares from passerby's.

Finally reached, she promptly slammed the big book on the counter, effectively waking up the librarian, an old man with receding grey hair and glasses.

'I would like to issue this book, Sumaru-san.'

'Oh, sakura-chan! Of course, of course, anything for our regular customer! Now, what do you have here?'

He put on his reading classes quickly and peered over at the book. After reading the cover, he was startled. A book of shinobi….? He had forgotten such books were kept here. He then looked at the small girl with pink hair suspiciously.

'Why do you need a book about shinobi, Sakura-chan?'

'Oh, there was no other book I _haven't _read and I was bored, so I saw this and decided to give it a try. It looked interesting enough.' She said the lie from the top of her head. She did not feel guilty about the lie knowing how most people in this village reacted to shinobi or ninja.

'Hmmm. Well, don't get too caught up in it Sakura-chan. It's too dangerous to even comprehend.' He told her, seemingly believing the lie.

_Dangerous for_ you _maybe._

'Oh, yes. This is just for fun Sumaru-san. Don't worry about it!'

'Yes, well, here you go. All done! Have a good day now.'

'Arigatou gozaimasu! You too, Sumaru-san.'

After getting her hands on the book, she was practically skipping her way back home.

For the next few days, Sakura was sure she was going to explode any second .The day she had gotten the book, she had to hide it under her yukata because her mother was in front of the house, weeding. When Saori had seen her trying to walk stealthily to her room, she instantly got suspicious.

From then, she had been keeping a close eye on Sakura. But that wasn't the only reason she never opened the book. In truth, she was also scared. Scared of what she would find. If she really had ninja blood. If she could do anything.

If. If.

_If._

Until one day, Sakura felt like she couldn't take it anymore. She had to read the book and read the secret's it contains. So she finally decided to go for it. Telling her mother she was going out to play in the fields, she rushed out of the small house before her mother could give any answer and rushed to the place she found in her childhood.

A small field tucked right between two valleys. But this field could not be found easily. It was hidden behind curtains of vines and plants. It had taken Sakura days to find it again after discovering it in the first place. A field of lush grass, plants secluding the perimeter and the clear blue skies could be seen from between the canopy of trees. It was a beautiful place. She always used to come here to think to just _get away from everything._

_Now, on with it._

Trepidation and anticipation, she opened the book and started reading. Once she did, she was captured. She was in her own world. It was incredible. She sucked up all the information she could like a sponge.

_**Normal chakra is a form of energy all living individuals naturally produce to some degree. Contained in the "chakra coils" that mainly surround and connect to each chakra-producing organ, the energy circulates throughout the body in a network called the "chakra circulatory system" (similar to the cardiovascular system). Certain groups, such as ninja, have lear-**_

_**Of the many different types of techniques, ninjutsu, genjutsu, dōjutsu, and so on, all require the use of chakra. However, taijutsu is different, usually requiring no chakra use whatsoever; stamina is all that is needed. While the ninja still needs a set amount of chakra to live (i.e. life force energy), regular taijutsu doesn't require any active moulding or manipulation of chakra (with few exceptions). A standard at-**_

_**The general term for the source of chakra, the overall physical and spiritual energy an individual has, is called "total stamina". The maximum amount of chakra an individual can create and retain at a given time is called their "chakra level".**_

she covered the whole topic of chakra and was amazed.

_The book said every person has chakra. The only difference is that ninja's just use their chakra for all the techniques. Im pretty sure it was chakra I released that day, which saved me from drowning. I already know I _have _chakra, I just need to _utilize_ it._

_Now, chakra is located in the core. I just have to concentrate on it. Concentrate. Concentrate!_

It would have been quite a comical sight for anyone to see a pink haired little girl sitting cross legged in the middle of a field, with her face scrunched up in concentration and her tongue darting out.

After a few moments, sweat had begun to appear on her forehead and the pinkette was starting to get restless. She couldn't even feel her so called _chakra._

_Whats wrong? Why cant I get it? The book said to call upon the chakra. Imagine it. Well, I've been doing nothing but thinking and its doing nothing but making my head hurt!_

_What should I d-! wait a minute. Visualization! That would work. I should visualize my chakra! Okay, I can do this. Focus. As shown in the picture. A blue flame right in the core. Flowing through coils all in my body. A blue soothing flow of energy…_

She could feel herself beginning to feel it. She was beginning to be aware of the energy residing within her. She was startled, but felt a sense of accomplishment for not giving up.

_Yes! I'm sure now! This is …. Amazing._

_Now to actually use my chakra….this could take a while._

For the next few days, Sakura had been continuously trying to 'move' her chakra. The book had explained this. It showed-

_**chakra takes time and a great deal of training to gradually build up. Thus, the key is not actually having chakra, but being able to sufficiently control and conserve it. Everyone has**_ _**chakra, but only skilled ninja can correctly "mould" and "manipulate" it to its fullest extent.**_

She had been trying to mould chakra for a few days now and she couldn't get anything, it was unbelievingly frustrating.. she couldn't grasp how to manipulate a thing which she doesn't even know much about. The book had also said to bring out your chakra to any one part of your body to learn controlling it. But it's easier said than done, she could vouch for that.

One day, when she was still sulking about her recent failures in improvement in the living room. This was how Nashiko had found her.

'What's the matter dear? I've never seen you this broody, other than the times when your mother forbids you from playing outside.' She asked Sakura, smiling a bit.

Sakura wanted so desperately to tell someone about her powers. She wanted to just let it go. But she had made a decision to not tell her mother, and that was that. But when Nashiko-baa asked, she just wanted to tell her everything, in hopes that she could help.

So, that's what she did. She told her everything. From what happened in the alley, to the incident of her drowning in the pond, to her finding the book in the library and how she can now feel her chakra. She also told her about her recent disappointments for not being able to mould her chakra.

'Hmmm. . It seems as you're in a predicament. But fear not, for I have a solution for this problem.'

Sakura looked up, quite confused.

'Not to sound rude or anything, but how do you have a solution? I mean, you're not a ninja!...are you?' hesitant at the last part.

Smiling, Nashiko-baa bent down to Sakura's height and sat down. There, she placed her palms in a way where Sakura could see. Sakura, on the other hand, was curious as to what baa-chan would show her.

When baa-chan's hands started to gradually glow blue, naturally sakura gave quite a start. _W-what the-?_

That. Was chakra. There was no mistaking it. She could feel the same energy she feels inside herself. And she _knew_ she had chakra. Looking up at her smiling baa-chan's face in awe-

'How?' she muttered.

'Oh, well it's quite simple really. In my times, it was much safer to know how to use chakra. So I had a friend help me in basic training. I wasn't very good, but it was enough. I knew you had chakra in you from the moment I saw you. I can sense adequately enough.I was actually waiting to see when this would happen. I actually thought it would be a little bit later, but seeing as how it is now, well it works for us, doesn't it?'

Sakura was still a little lightheaded at the information that her aunt knew ninja tricks. This just opened up a bucket load of opportunities!_ I should ask her to train me! She could teach me the basics better than the book can!_

'Ano sa, ano sa baa-chan, can you train me? You could teach me the basics much more easily! I could_ learn_ more easily from you than the book!' Sakura exclaimed, sitting up straighter and placing her hands in front of her.

'Oh, I don't know about that. I'm sure you've noticed your mother's aversion to ninja.

She felt a bit crestfallen at the answer, but she refused to give up now. After this long!

'I know about that…._i know. _B-But that's why I haven't told her about this. Please baa-chan! I'll be a good student! I promise! I-I just…..i just_ know_ that this is my connection to _my father_. I don't know anything about him, because mom always strays from my questions….and I don't pressure her, because I know it must be something bad. But Im pretty sure that I got my power from him. So-so_ please.'_ Sakura literally pleaded, a serious look on her face.

She wasn't lying when she said she felt as if this was her connection to her father. She knew her father was a shinobi. That was obvious to her from her mother's aversion to shinobi and her refusing to talk about her father. Sakura was very perceptive when she wanted to be. So, this just meant more to her than ever.

Nashiko on the other hand, was startled at the passion the young girl displayed in her plea. It just highlighted her sincerity more. Not that she doubted her in the first place. Not a bit. Chuckling softly, she made up her mind.

'Well, you give me no choice, now do you? You drive a hard bargain, little girl.' She replied, poking Sakura's nose softly, resulting in her nose scrunching up.

'Of course I'll train you. Meet me on the burning pyre by the end of the field tomorrow at 9 sharp. Tell an excuse to your mother about your whereabouts because apparently we're keeping this a secret.'

Literally pouncing on her baa-chan, she choked her with a ferocious hug, tears of gratitude threatening to spill from her closed eyes.

'Thank you. Thank you so much! I'll be the best student you ever had! Really!' she promised, grinning from ear to ear.

'You would be my first ever student, but whatever works, right?'


	3. the end of a past

Disclaimer- I do not own naruto. I simply write the fiction.

_**Legend of a descendant **_

**- The end of a past**

_**-"No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow." ~Euripides**_

That fateful day at 9 sharp at the burning pyre, a training regimen was made. Every day at 9 sharp, by the burning pyre, the two- teacher and student- met and trained. The first time they had met at the designated spot, Sakura had been nervous, apprehensive, nauseous and excited at the same time. Due to all these creating a whirlwind of emotions for her, she skipped breakfast thinking it would be okay.

_Flashback_

'_Okay!' Nashiko exclaimed when they had both reached, taking center stage, her voice extremely chipper for someone of her age. 'We're going to start with the basics of chakra. Do you already know them, Sakura?'_

_Clearing her throat, Sakura channeled her inner encyclopedia, as she liked to call it._

'_Chakra is essential to even the most basic technique; it is the moulding of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once moulded, it can be channelled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points (called tenketsu) in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise.'_

_After hearing that, Nashiko had her eyebrows raised and gave a low whistle._

'_if you knew everything, then why did you practically beg me to train you?' Nashiko asked, folding her arms._

_Huffing and puffing out her cheeks, 'it's not that I don't know the theory, but I don't know how to mould chakra!' she exclaimed, coming out closer to a whine than she would've liked._

'_Well then, let's remedy that, shall we?' smiling, she pulled Sakura to her feet._

_Confused, Sakura let her pull her up. She then stood in front of her aunt, looking curious._

_Satisfied that she was getting sakura's attention, she began to gather chakra by forming a hand seal and concentrating. Sakura, on the other hand was utterly confused. '_What the hell is she doing now?'

_Then she could feel the buzz of energy in the air, it was very light, barely distinguishable, but there nevertheless. 'H-how? How can_ I _do that?'_

_Chuckling, Nashiko began to explain. 'Jutsu, are the mystical arts a ninja will utilize in battle. To perform a jutsu, the ninja will manipulate their chakra and may use some form of hand seal. By forming hand seals, the ninja is able to mold their chakra and manifest the desired jutsu. What I formed just now was the tiger hand seal. It allows me to manipulate my chakra to any part of my body and concentrate it there.'_

Hand seals? That's what I should learn to mould my chakra? I've got to learn them fast!

'_Teach me them!' Sakura said, barely containing the need to know. 'how many are there? What are th-'_

'_Slow down, little one. I haven't finished explaining yet, now have I? Listen carefully and look closely at the seals I am about to show you, alright?'_

_Sakura nodded her head eagerly. Maybe too quickly, because the next moment, she felt a little dizzy._

_Still chuckling, she resumed explaining. 'There are basically twelve hand signs. Based on the Chinese zodiac-_

_Bird (__酉__, Tori)_

_Boar (__亥__, I)_

_Dog (__戌__, Inu): _

_Dragon (__辰__, Tatsu)_

_Ox (__丑__, Ushi)_

_Tiger (__寅__, Tora)_

_Snake (__巳__, Mi)_

_Rat (__子__, Ne)_

_Horse (__午__, Uma)_

_Monkey (__申__, Saru)_

_Hare (__卯__, U) _

_And Ram (__未__, Hitsuji)'. She explained each hand seal while performing the seal with it and showing how to hold the fingers._

'_Now, I think for today, this is enough. It's very hard to master these seals in the first day itself. So keep on practicing the seals today and we'll see what we can do tomorrow.' She said, while walking away._

_Sakura widened her eyes._ That's it?_ 'Wait! That's it? You only showed some hand signs! I'll master them fast! I can still learn more!.' She exclaimed._

_Shaking her head, she replied 'my dear, it may seem easy, but it's not. It takes practice, practice and more practice. Tell you what, you master all these seals in a moderately fast pace by tomorrow morning, and I'll teach you the bunshin jutsu. You'll see what it is tomorrow. Remember Sakura, patience is very important in the way of the ninja.'_

_Silently fuming as she watched her baa-chan walk away, she yelled 'I'll master these signs today itself! In fact, I'll learn all of this in two hours, tops! Then you'll have to teach me today! Wont you?'_

'_We'll see.' Was all that was said._

_But Sakura did not see the secretive smile on her face._

_._

_._

_._

This'll be a piece of cake! And then she'll _have_ to teach me that jutsu. Let's start with bird. Uhhh, how was it again…?

_This was the pattern in which things went for the first hour. When she had finally gotten to know how to bend her fingers and place her hands in the right way, it had already taken an hour. She was really regretting not having any breakfast. She was tempted to go to the nearest store and buy dango, her favorite sweet, but the overwhelming need to train overpowered her desire to eat. For the next hour, she focused on performing the entire signs one after the other to increase her speed. She always messed up at least one or the other whenever she performed them in a sequence. It was getting really frustrating. '_And hot'_ she noted. Not even having an ounce of desire in giving up, she tried to do it again. And again. And again, and when she didn't get it then. Again._

_Then finally, she could do it all without messing up. True, the speed was truly pitiful, and her fingers hurt after constantly trying to get it in position, but she finally did it. And when she did. Her lips curled up in a self-satisfied smile._

_While walking back to her house to tell baa-chan the god news, she kept practicing. She ignored the curious expressions of the villagers and walked on. When she saw her in one of the paddy fields, working, she ran over to her, panting a bit._

'_wha-?'_

_Stopping her from even saying anything, Sakura performed all the hand seals in a sequence without a single mistake and in a better pace than before._

_At first, Nashiko was startled at seeing Sakura on the fields, panting. When she saw what Sakura did before she could ask anything, she widened her eyes. _'She practiced the whole afternoon without giving up, and I know that she had skipped breakfast too.' _Her eyes softening at the girl's determination, she smiled at her and told her 'I had promised to teach the bunshin technique, didn't i? Let's get going then!'_

_Even though she was tired and felt like she could eat a hippo, she gave her biggest, brightest grin and ran back to the field where she had practiced, sure that Nashiko-baa-chan had followed._

_._

_._

_._

She had mastered the bunshin technique the same day. She was fascinated in seeing _two_ Nashiko's and she wanted to learn the technique badly. She had trouble in the beginning to gather chakra to transform and had to try many times to get it right. But when she did, she grinned for the whole world to see.

After that, she promptly fainted. Chakra exhaustion. It seemed as she had unconsciously wasted too much of her chakra while practicing. Of course, they told Saori that she had fainted due to the heat, but Saori was not convinced at all.

She knew something was up. Something that she did not want happening. She knew it was coming soon. The day to tell Sakura everything.

Sakura on the other hand, was grinning like a fool from the moment she woke up from her unconsciousness. She had learned not only what chakra was, but also a jutsu! Granted, it was a very low level one, but it made sakura feel as if she were on top of the world. She had accomplished something! She had never felt such a feeling. It also felt great to be acknowledged for your accomplishment, she knew now. When she had finished learning reading at three years of age, she had not gotten any acknowledgement from anyone. Only from her mom and Nashiko. Nashiko-baa had ruffled her hair and told her that 'she did well'. But her mother was very happy about it. She hugged her and bought her chocolate. A rarity in the village and a lot to pay, but she knew her mom did not have any bounds with her. That's why she always felt guilty whenever she lied to her mom, especially now.

But, now that she knew she definitely had the skills to become a ninja, she couldn't wait for the next day to come. She knew she had a lot yet to discover.

Nashiko, on the other hand, was surprised at how fast the girl seemed to have caught on. It was _exceptional._ She was also surprised at her will and determination. She knew she had to bring the training up a notch if Sakura was going through it like it was easy pickings. _I never said I never like to have fun._ She thought with a mischievous grin.

.

.

.

After reflecting on her training, she ran straight away to an old brick house right down the road. The house was slightly bigger than theirs, but to be fair, the family occupying it has seven members.

It had a narrow chimney and a small front yard where the smallest members of the family play in. when Sakura reached, she knocked on the bright red door twice and stood politely in front of it with her hands clasped behind her back, waiting for the door to open, rocking on the balls of her feet.

She could hear a faint 'coming!' before the door opened. A tall woman, with beautiful raven hair, hazel eyes and sharp features carrying a baby on her hip, came out.

'Hi, Mitsuki-san, can Takumi-kun come out to play?'

'Of course, Sakura-chan, he's not busy at the moment so you can play. Wait just a minute.' She replied smiling.

After going in for a few minutes, a boy with raven black hair and bright green eyes, just like hers, came out of the door, looking as if he just got out of bed with Mitsuki.

'Now, Takumi, you can go out to play, but be back in an hour, you hear me?'

'Yes mom. Don't worry! I'll be back!'

'_Right._ Anyway, you kids have fun. '

'Sure thing, Mitsuki-san!' sakura replied with a cheeky grin. When Mitsuki had gone back in and closed the door, she grabbed Takumi's hand and pulled him with her to the clearing, with Takumi stumbling up on his feet.

Takumi Wantanabe was Sakura's best friend. They had met when they were three. Saori and Mitsuki had met while working on one of the fields and had instantly become friends. When they learned that they each had a child of the same age, they had arranged play dates for their kids. Since they met, they were inseparable since. He was the one she would go to for anything, and vice versa. Whenever any of his siblings were annoying him, or he had a fight with his parents, he would run to Sakura's house first. It was the same with her.

This was such a regular occurrence the past few years, that their mothers knew that they would be at each other's houses whenever they ran away because they were upset. Saori and Mitsuki were also secretly hoping that they would fall in love and marry in the future. They knew it was _way _in the future, but they kept hope. Of course, the kids didn't know anything about _that._

Laughing, they raced each other to the clearing, Takumi's sleep long gone now. As they reached, they fell on the grass, clutching their stomachs, still laughing and breathing hard. These moments, Sakura loved. The moments when she didn't have anything to do, but just act like a normal person, having extreme fun with her best friend. She looked over at him and was extremely thankful for him. With him, she felt take on everything. They were always interested in stories of the shinobi world and they would act like they were one, when they used to play. They used to act like they were stealthy, which she no knew they were anything but, and loved to scare each other, it was a game between them. Most people would hate it, getting scared, but she loved it. It felt like a trademark for them now.

When Takumi saw that Sakura had stopped laughing and was looking at him thoughtfully, he stopped too.

'What's wrong Sakura-chan? Are you not feeling well or something?'

Snapping out of her trance. She shook her head and gave him a smile.

'No, that's not it. It's nothing, just thinking. Forget it.'

He wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't push her. So, he reluctantly agreed.

'Anyway, what's going on with you these days? I rarely saw you this whole week!' he asked her, frowning in the end and waving his arms a little to exaggerate his point.

Smiling, she told him the entire story, in an excited tone. She began from the incident at the clearing till the recent training she received from Nashiko-baa. She could never ever keep secrets from him. It wasn't possible. He in turn listened attentively. Especially now, knowing it was important. At first, she was a little scared what he would think of her when he heard she had ninja abilities, but quickly banished that thought from her head; he would never judge her like that.

Once she finished her entire story, she took a deep breath and looked at Takumi, almost nervously. Takumi, on the other hand, was stunned. He was amazed by ninja stories and the like but to hear that his _best friend_ had the same abilities he read about, the same abilities of the people he looks up to, it was phenomenal.

Sure, he did feel a bit of envy, and he did feel that maybe now he would feel neglected, but his overall happiness and pride, whatever pride a six year old has, for his friend won over.

'Whoa! That's….. Awesome! I mean, you're a _ninja?'_

'I can be, if I want to. You know, how the people here react to the word_ shinobi.'_ She replied, grimacing.

'Yeah, I guess. So, what are you going to do about it? Just keep training in secret?'

'I guess that's the only option now, isn't it. I mean there's not much I can do. Also, I just started my training. I just scratched the surface. Now that Nashiko-baa is teaching me, I can learn a lot more.'

'That you can! If anyone can be a ninja, it's you!'

'Arigatou Takumi-kun! Buts it's not easy, you know! I have to train my butt off!'

'Hey! Show me what you've learnt till now! Pretty Please!' he pleaded, finishing the request with a puppy dog face.

'Oh alright! I'm just doing this to show off anyway!' she replied haughtily, but anyone could see the playfulness in her words.

'Yeah, yeah whatever. Just show me!'

.

.

.

'You know, if I had known you showing me your fancy tricks would result in this, I wouldn't have bothered asking.' Takumi retorted dryly.

Due to showing her skills off a little _too_ much, Sakura had almost fainted in the field. Thus resulting in Takumi giving Sakura a piggy back ride to her house.

Though Takumi kept complaining about how heavy Sakura was, and how she should eat less and kept on relentlessly teasing her, Sakura sat quiet through it all. She just kept her head on his shoulder and hugged him tighter. She felt totally at peace. She knew these moments were rare with her best friend, and she treasured them like anything. She loved him, she knew. In a totally platonic way, of course. He was like the brother she never had but always wanted.

Right before they reached her house, she whispered a soft 'arigatou' to his ear. Hearing this, Takumi stopped his teasing and his eyes had softened.

'You know I was just teasing, right? I mean, you're not heavy at all! In fact, your very light! Honest!'

'I know, Takumi-kun!' she replied, giggling at his fast explanation to not hurt her.

Hearing her reply, he gave a sigh of relief.

'Good, because…you know you shouldn't take anything what I say to heart, I'm stupid like that' he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Hearing that, she chuckled.

'And also, the things you showed me were really cool! After your next training session, you should show me what you learnt, okay?'

'I promise! Just go Takumi-kun! It's already an hour past! Your mom's going to be worried!'

'I'm going! I'm going! Sheesh…it's like you _want_ me to go!' he replied, laughing. He started to run, waving.

'Ja ne!'

Smiling, Sakura watched him until he was out of sight to go back inside. When she fell onto her bed, exhausted, she thought she had a pretty good day overall and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

.

.

.

The next few months passed by in a blur.

Her ninja training was going great. Nashiko had taught her many things. She had finished with the basics and Nashiko was thinking of taking it to the next level.

She had found out, in the course of her training, that she was more than adequate in controlling chakra. She understood it, visualized it and found that she had amazing control over it. Nashiko-baa had told her that she was best in chakra control she had ever seen. This was a huge accomplishment for her and a very big praise from her aunt/ sensei.

They had covered how to control chakra adequately, which she excelled in. They had also covered weapons. At first, Sakura was scared and apprehensive, but she had ploughed through. She never liked weapons training in the beginning, always getting sharp cuts and gashes. It was always a pain for her to hide it from her mother. But once she got used to it, she started to like it more and more, it made her feel powerful, like she wasn't defenseless anymore. Nashiko-baa had made her practice throwing weapons on the bark of trees, where she would mark x's on any part of the tree, to better her aim.

Now she can throw shurikens and kunais dead center, with just the occasional mess up. Sakura had asked her aunt where she had gotten these weapons from, and found out that she had kept some weapons safely under her dresser at home. She also learnt that her aunt had saved a sword she had in her childhood.

She had also learnt the bunshin jutsu ( clone jutsu), kawarimi no jutsu ( substitusion jutsu) , the nawanuke technique( rope escape technique) and henge no jutsu ( transformation technique) successfully. She had learnt all of these techniques in a span of three months.

Nashiko on the other hand, was simply astounded by the girl's rapid progression. She didn't know anyone who learnt as fast as her. Nashiko knew that if sakura was in a hidden village, she would be named a prodigy. She could even be a genin, she knew. All this, and the girl was only turning seven in two months…

Little did she know that Sakura always used to come to the clearing in the middle of the night, while everyone was sleeping, to practice and hone her skills. She used to sit till dawn and throw kunai and shuriken to a specific leaf in the tree to see if it hits the target to better her aim. She used to practice all her jutsus whenever she could, so that she would become better and eventually, the best.

Now that most of the academy jutsus were done, Nashiko started focusing on Sakura's fighting skills. It was an important prospect in a ninjas life to fight. It must be precise and thorough to win. Sakura, Nashiko soon found out, simply did not have the stamina to learn how to fight.

'_Well that's going to be a problem.'_

So, she made Sakura run laps every morning at six sharp. In the beginning, it was around the whole clearing. Sakura hated it. She used to love running because it gave her a sense of freedom, but running laps around the whole clearing just made her hate it. The first week was torture. Her stamina was pathetic, therefore, she was panting like a dog before she reached even halfway.

By the second week, she started to gradually get better. She could finish the whole lap and not fall down.

By the third week, she could run a lap around the paddy fields without that much exhaustion. She found out that by concentrating chakra in her leg muscles and the soles of her feet, she could numb the pain from running continuously and also increase her speed which helped her a lot and made her overjoyed.

By the end of the month, she could run a lap around the whole village; finish it in half an hour without breaking a sweat. A huge achievement, if she did say so herself.

Just to polish up her stamina, she would run up and down stairs whenever she could until she was out of breath. People would look over strangely, but she would pay them no mind. Due to all the speed and stamina training, she could see muscles developing. She would see muscles she never had before now on her thighs and fore-arms and legs. She got tired after practice less and less. It made her feel elated. She could definitely feel her progress.

The next step in her training, she knew was her fighting stance. She had read about the three basic types of jutsu.

Taijutsu. Genjutsu. Ninjutsu.

Though she knew the theory, reading about it from her book, she knew absolutely nothing about it practically. When she asked nashio-baa-chan about it, she told her that she knew almost nothing about it, except for the academy level techinques, which were already taught, because she had only learned what the basic academy level training taught.

Right now, Sakura knew that genjutsu were the mind tricks and ninjutsu was the techniques that put ,in Sakura's eyes, magic to shame.

What she understood about taijutsu, was that it was physical. The physical aspect, requiring direct blows and hits, which could save a person's life and end one too, given the right force. It is a basic form of techniques and refers to any techniques involving the martial arts or the optimization of natural human abilities. And she also knew that while her speed and stamina had increased, she, in no way, knew how to fight. She also knew that she couldn't rely on baa-chan to teach her how to fight, she may be a good sensei to teach her the basics, and she may have more strength than most women her age, but she knew that this is where her line ends.

So, Sakura tried to learn on basic survival herself. She had no luck in the beginning, in this village; there were not many instances where you were needed to fight. But she didn't give up hope. She never gave up. So she tried another tactic. Whenever she ran somewhere, she would take the hardest path possible so she could duck under trees and jump over bushes; in other words, improve her reflexes.

She also wrestled with Takumi whenever they went out to play. He thought that they were wrestling playfully, of course, but in Sakura's mind, she was trying to plan out strategies on how to escape a choke-hold.

She found this to be working, when her awareness increased and she started to get less scrapes whenever she practiced with weapons. This way, by her birthday, she could say she knew how to fight, at least a little.

.

.

.

Soon, her seventh birthday came and went. That day, her mother had woken her up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She wished her a happy birthday and gave her a hug. Nashiko-baa-chan also wished her a happy birthday. Later, Takumi-kun and his younger sister, Tatsume, had also come. He told her that he had to babysit Tatsume, that's the reason she came along too, but Sakura didn't mind. The more, the merrier.

But she was the most surprised by the presents she had gotten.

From Takumi-kun, she had gotten a set of play-doh, in all colors and a red silk ribbon.

'To keep your bangs away from your forehead, you look prettier when your face isn't hidden, anyway.'

Suffice to say, she had blushed pretty hard, which had her mother cooing from the background.

Next was her gift from Nashiko-baa-chan. A red dress, reaching above her knees, snug fitting, and spandex black tights with blue sandals.

'This is a standard ninja costume. You can wear this from now on for our training sessions, ne?'

She had whispered this in Sakura's ear, but when she heard ninja costume, she had put it on right away and hugged her aunt quickly.

When her mother gave her gift, she saw that she had gotten an old wooden box. Curious, she lifted the lid and took the item from inside. It was a sash. A deep maroon. It was very beautiful. It also had a symbol on the side. A line with two fancy semi-circles on both sides and a line in between, crossing the first. This symbol was over shadowed by a circle. The whole symbol was in silver. It was pretty, but the girl didn't understand the meaning. When Saori saw her daughter's curious look, she went on to explain.

'This … is a family heirloom. It's… very important to me. You'll understand the meaning of this later, but for now, this is yours. Keep it safe, it will come to mean a lot in the future when you understand things a.. Bit more.' Saori then took the sash from her daughters hands and tied it around her waist.

'There. .. Perfect.' She whispered after finishing the knot, and stared at it, almost longingly. Only when she felt her daughters hand on her cheek, wiping away something, did she realize she was crying.

When she saw concern flashing through Sakura's eyes, she quickly wiped her cheeks and stood up hastily.

'Happy birthday, tenshi.' She whispered once more and retired to her bedroom.

When she saw her mother crying, she was alarmed. When she saw her mother staring at the sash, she understood that it had a lot of hidden meanings. Meanings she wanted to find out soon. Maybe this could be related to her family. It was a hope she had, and held on to it dearly.

.

.

.

_**1 year later-**_

Small, sandaled feet hustled down the streets of the village of rice paddies. Her short strides were only interrupted by the occasional sidestep as she zoomed past the villagers on the street.

'Sakura-chan! Saku! Wait up!' a voice yelled a few feet behind. Hearing this, the girl running stopped abruptly and turned around, pink wisps of hair flying.

Takumi was running fast as he could, though not gracefully, to reach her. A few times, he stumbled on his steps in his haste to reach her. Sakura's lips curled up in an amused way watching her best friend struggling to catch up to her.

'You know,(pant) you_ could_ (pant)run a _little_ slower(pant) next time to allow me to catch up(pant)!' he yelled at her, though not angrily, an annoyed expression overtaking his face.

'I did! It's not my fault you take so long!'

'_Right._ You know you run the fastest, so you could take pity on _lil' old me!'_

'Little? You're not little! You're taller than me!'

'Whatever. I'm done arguing like little children. I'm a grown up now!'

'… Your eight Takumi-kun. That's not grown up.'

'Is too!' the blonde huffed back, a glint in his eye.

The pink haired girl laughed. 'You know I'm only teasing silly!' . When her friend had gotten his breath back, they both moved forward together. 'I just went without you because you were talking to Shintani-kun.'

'Oh please, you know that if I'd known you were going I would've ignored him and come after you!' Takumi replied, huffing an exasperated breath.

'Well, that's not very nice… I wouldn't want you to do that for me..' she muttered, her eyebrows scrunching.

Takumi sighed. 'You wouldn't, but I would anyway! Your my bestest friend! I'm with you always! You can't get rid of me! I mean, your one of my most precious people, and if I _want_ to hang out with you, then you can't stop me anyway..' he finished his rant brightly with a toothy grin.

The coral haired girl looked at him with shy eyes. She then looked away from his face and looked at her feet. 'You really think that?' she whispered uncertainly.

'Of course I do!'

Smiling shyly, she looked at him with grateful eyes. 'Your my bestest friend too, you know.'

Now embarrassed, he scratched his head nervously. 'I know. That's why we gotta' stick together!'

Thanking the fates for blessing her with such a great friend, she linked her arms with his and started walking to her house, chatting and laughing with her best friend.

.

.

.

_**A month later-**_

In a short month, the tranquil village of rice paddies echoed with shrill screams of terror. Pain, destruction, terror and loss were the words used to describe the village. In a month, the peaceful village had become a maelstrom of disarray and chaos.

Sakura had not left the safe haven of her home in a full two weeks. It was not safe at all in these times of war. She always knew destruction and pain was near when she heard the boom of an explosion or the screams of the people she knew.

She only knew vague details of the political affairs. Her mother only told her little information on the happenings. She knew that this was the cause of the civil war. While this village was not a main village, it just got caught up in the war. She also knew that different sections of the village were gradually being targeted by the faction. She got more information when groups of individuals started to pour into the household. Every week, she would see new faces. Sometimes people she knew, sometimes strangers who came to seek refuge since their homes were destroyed.

Every day, she used to keep an eye out for the Wantanabe family. She knew she couldn't go out to search for her best friend, but she desperately wanted to.

As her residence became more crowded, the scared girl could piece up more and more facts. Such as the 'inhuman faction leader' and the 'demon workers' trying to take control of some other village.

She had to resort to eavesdropping on her mother and Nashiko to get any real news on the up comings of war. Once, she heard that the shinobi, who visited the village, was helping out. There were apparently kidnappings happening of the village children. In rare moments, the elder ones in the residence would discuss on these topics with great concern. She could see her mother's face growing paler with worry and she could feel her mother's gaze on her most of the times. It made her worried too.

Every single day, she could feel the aura helplessness and lost hope in the air. And it took all she had to believe in faith and hope everything would turn out for the better.

It was late afternoon.

She was helping clean the wounds of an elderly lady who had sought refuge in their residence a few days ago. Gently aiding the frail woman back to the living room, Sakura helped her to a spare seat.

After sitting down, the elderly woman ruffled the girl's pink locks in a sign of gratitude and whispered a thank you and smiled at her. Sakura could see the weariness and worriness etched upon her face, clear as day, the same as all the others. Banishing all those thoughts from her head, she reciprocated the smile and then got up and went to the work area, next to the kitchen and started to clean the bloodied rags and towels. Anything to decrease her mother's workload and make it easier for her.

Her quiet thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash a few feet away and by the painful screams which followed. The girl found her throat to be parched and found it very difficult to gulp down air._ No! They're here! Not now! ..._

Terrified, she sucked in a deep breath and willed herself not to cry. She then went to the cupboard under the sink and crawled under there with difficulty. Then she proceeded to close the cupboard door to a crack, then wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head between her knees, clenching her eyes shut and biting on her lip, to stop herself from screaming.

When the door to her dwelling slammed open, she snapped her head up and inched closer to the door. With wide eyes, she peered through the crack.

The intruder was a burly inhuman looking man, with black marks patterned all over his body. His beady yellow snake like eyes looked around at all the terrified people cowering in the corners. Grinning sinfully and eyes gleaming in malicious intent, he clutched the sword he had in his hand tighter.

With the grin still on his face, the man swung his sword around callously, mercilessly, not caring about the destruction. Sakura could only watch on in fright and awe, her mind frozen numb, information not registering, trembling.

One by one, all the individuals were taken down. Children, men, women and elderly. Blood was splattered on the wall, on the floor. The sight was almost too much to bear for her. She bit down on her lip, hard, causing the skin to break and blood to flow.

After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity for Sakura, it seemed that everyone in the room was dead, except for one person- Nashiko-baa-chan. When she saw who was left, her thoughts became frantic and hurried. She knew what was about to happen, yet she didn't want that conclusion to become reality. Her frozen mind could barely comprehend what was going on. When the murderer crossed the room to go to his next target, Sakura was allowed to take a closer look at the man's eyes. It was ruthless, and cold. Merciless and dark. It didn't look like human eyes. It chilled her to the bone.

When the predator watched the frail woman lying on the floor, trying to get up, and looking up at him with terrified eyes, he grinned sadistically. The hand holding the weapon twitched excitedly. He then swung his sword directly at her heart.

Sakura was shaking all over. Her lips trembling but not able to. Wanting to scream out so bad. The moment the piece of metal slashed through her aunt's chest, she tripped from the cupboard, vulnerable. The pink haired girl was shaking her head, denying ever witnessing the scene. Her heart ached. It was not possible. Her aunt… her sensei… was brutally murdered. Right in front of her eyes. It was too much for her to take. It was not possible!

Her swollen, puffy eyes widened in horror when the ninja's beady eyes turned to her direction and looked at her in the eye.

_H-he k-knows I'm here! He k-k-knows… w-what do I…?_

Walking towards her, the nuke-nin looked at the sobbing, trembling form of a child at his feet.

'Well, what do we have here?' he said gruffly. His voice rough and prickly. 'I could take you with me, but I'd hate to pass up a chance to kill, so…. Goodbye, kid.' He said, while chuckling amusedly.

Sakura could do nothing but crouch there, sobbing. She couldn't even register what he had said, the dark aura around him suffocating her. She knew this could potentially be the end for her. She was ready for it; she just wanted to see her mother, one last time. So she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her inevitable fate.

But then, she heard a painful clang of metal hitting metal. Sakura slowly opened her eyes to look at what was happening. When the haze in her vision cleared, she looked up to see her mother blocking the sword with a kunai.

_Mom …?_

'Don't worry tenshi. Everything's gonna be alright now. You'll see' Saori told Sakura, giving her a soft smile, then concentrating on her battle, and forced the shinobi away from Sakura and to the living room. She gave Sakura another smile, before going after the shinobi.

Sakura was still shocked seeing her mother fight. _Mom can fight?_ And that too, with such power. Seeing that, her body trembled, with both hope and fear. Praying that maybe this time everything would be alright. From the way her mother protected her, she knew she wouldn't go down without a fight. She knew this, seeing the fire in her mother's eyes.

When she heard her mother yell from pain, Sakura started to get really worried. She forgot all about the danger she could be in and rushed outside to see her mother's condition. Rushing in haste, and stumbling to get outside. She could still hear the sounds of fighting and metal clanging.

When she reached the door, she heard her mother bellow a jutsu, much to her shock. But that wasn't the worst part. The name of the jutsu struck a chord in her heart.

_No..._

'Ninja art: twin shadows mutual death!'

_That's a forbidden jutsu!_

She knew this one. Nashiko-baa-chan had told her about forbidden techniques. In this one, both the user and the victim die. Her body shook as she tried to keep her tears in.

'NO!'

She gripped the door knob tightly and pressed her forehead to the wooden door, praying that the conclusion she had reached was not true. When she heard a groan, she snapped her head up and pushed the wooden door open.

Saori was barely standing up, her stomach was impaled by the rouge's sword and blood was gushing out. Saori promptly fell to the ground, hard.

The rouge was in the same condition. 'Wh-whats happening to me? What is this!' he croaked, clutching his abdomen and squirming at the pain and blood gushing out, seemingly from nowhere.

Saori grinned triumphantly, blood trickling down her chin. 'That jutsu…. Is technically forbidden, but (cough) that's what….you get….threatening my daughter. But unfortunately, my….life ends here too.. .'

He also fell to the ground, his head hitting the floor hard, which knocked him unconscious.

Sakura was paralyzed, her feet stuck to the floor. She felt like gravity was weighing her down, more so than usual. She couldn't blink. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't feel. She was numb. She couldn't believe what had transpired in this night. It felt like someone had killed her, tortured her ruthlessly. She didn't like this at all.

When Sakura saw that Saori was still conscious, she rushed as fast as she could to her mother's side and buried her head in the crook of her mother's neck, tears spilling from her closed eyes. She couldn't keep them in any longer. She felt utterly helpless. Useless.

'Sakura… ' her mother's voice floated to her ears. Her voice was cracking, she noticed.

'I know…. You w-were surprised, today... (Gasp). A-and I know you'll (cough) want answers.' She started, mustering calmness and strength as much as she could. For Sakura. 'I-I anticipated…. Something like…this w-would happen…so I kept everything ready…'

Sakura's head was still buried in the crook of her neck, but was listening attentively to her mother's last words.

Wheezing slightly, with blood still flowing from her mouth, she continued on 'in the master bedroom…..pry open t-the (gasp) wooden floorboard that c-creaks….. Under it, you'll find a b-b-box, it contains….the information you need.. All of it.(gasp)I also… want you to go to konoha. I've….explained everything in…..a letter you'll find. Go there; show the headband you'll find in the box….. To the guards and they'll….let you in. do you understand…sweetheart?'

Sakura sobbed a weak 'yes mom' into her neck.

'My dear a-angel, I k-know life is….going to be hard alone, but…. Just know that, I'm there with you….always. I've always known that you were going….behind my back to have…..ninja training. Now, you…can have the…life you wanted. Be a shinobi' throughout the whole speech, Sakura's eyes had been growing wider and wider. She had always suspected her mom knew.

Lifting her chin up so that Sakura would look at her, she gathered her strength and rested her palm on Sakura's cheek and looked into her evergreen orbs, ones which looked so much like her father's ' just…p-pro-mise me you'll _live._ And (gasp) al-always, remember, I-I l-lov-'

Before she could finish her last words, she was claimed by death. Sakura knew her mother's life was over when she lost the light in her eyes and the palm on her cheek fell off. With the realization that she was alone in the world, she clutched her mother's body almost desperately….and wept.

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The rogue ninja retreated from the village a few days later. The reasons were unknown; it may be because the whole village was demolished anyway. Sakura had stayed in the house till some jounin had found her in the middle of the rescue mission and taken her to one of the war-homes. During the time she had stayed in the house, alone, she followed her mother's instructions and found that there was a creaking floorboard right under the futon. Prying it open, she found a small wooden mahogany chest, with intricate designs all over. It was locked. Looking a bit deeper in the hole, she found a dusty key and a headband. With a konoha symbol of the leaf._ This must be the headband mom was talking about. I wonder whose it is._

Though she was curious as to what was in the chest and also her mother's letter, she didn't open it. She wanted time to recover from the horrible experience, even though she knew her heart could never be healed, at least not fully, before she read her mother's letter from beyond the grave.

She had also gone into Nashiko's room and had found the katana she had saved from her own childhood. It was of medium length and had the kanji for strength and love engraved on the hilt. It was beautiful. She also found a set of newly polished, sharp kunai of good quality with cherry blossoms engraved on the hilt under the dresser, just as she had said during one of their usual training sessions. The set of kunai had been set up on a box addressed to her. It seemed Nashiko had also anticipate the war and kept aside something for her. She wanted to cry, but she felt as if she couldn't anymore. Seemingly incapable.

While she was staying in the war-homes, she would talk to no one. She would look at no one. She wouldn't eat or sleep. It was as if she had no soul.

To make matters worse, shortly after the end of the war she discovered that her best friend, Takumi and his family were one of the hundreds of casualties of the war. This caused Sakura to fall even deeper into her depression. The sight of her village alone, empty of her loved ones and filled with destruction and chaos, only added to her pain.

Honoring her mother's dying request; she would set out to the village hidden in the leaves in a few days. She packed her belongings and her most precious mementoes from her family and friends, such as the red ribbon, the set of kunai, the wooden chest and the sash in another bag. Not sparing her destroyed childhood home another glance, she headed out to konohagakure.

_Hey there! so, this is the 3__rd__ chapter. This officially brings a close to sakura's childhood. From the next chapter, its going to be academy, training and adjusting to life in konoha. This chapter was very long…..longer than my other ones anyway…_

_I also wanted to thank these people_

_MarthaCarolina_

_kasandraalive _

_wierdpony115_

_kakiro19 _

_SweetAngels123_

_Thanks for reviewing or favouriting or following my story!_

_Please, please, please review or add to favorites! I promise to upload the 4__th__ as soon as I finish writing it, which will be in 4 to 5 days tops!_

_-fourthfireshadow-_


	4. a new beggining

Disclaimer- I do not own naruto. I simply write the fiction.

_**Legend of a descendant **_

**- A new beginning**

_**-**_ _**"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." -Louis L'Amour**_

Konohagakure was simply too… bright. That was Sakura's first thought as she entered through the massive gates leading to the village. Too preppy and bright. Now, normally, Sakura would've loved a place as big, as bright and as gigantic as this, but after her recent emotional turmoil, she found it too annoying. She just wanted to go to bed, curl up in a ball and cry her heart out.

When she had entered through the gates, a ninja was assigned to take her to the Hokage to be registered as an actual citizen. She was not looking forward to it at all. She was practically half dead, her brain still not functioning properly, her feet dragging. Her heart still felt like lead and her eyes did not have the sparkle it usually did, it had been erased the moment she saw her loved ones die in front of her, and she wondered if it would ever be back.

The village was huge, she noted. And alive. The hustle and bustle of the people seemed never ending. On her way to the Hokage tower, she took note of her surroundings. She saw the small shops and vendors. A ramen bar. A barbeque place. An academy for ninjas, she noted curiously. Maybe she could join, maybe it would help distract her from her memories, she thought grimly. She also saw the Hokage Mountain. The four faces on the mountain were apparently the previous leaders of the village. The third was still going strong, she knew. The person she was supposed to meet with.

When they had reached the Hokage tower, the ninja escorting her promptly transported away, leaving only a cloud of smoke behind. Coughing slightly, she rubbed her face with her shirt sleeve and trekked on inside and up the stairs to the main office, just as the person in the lobby said.

When she saw the doors leading to what she believed to be the Hokage's office, she took a deep breath and mustering her courage, she ventured in.

She didn't know what to expect, but she was sure this wasn't it. The office was quite big, but smaller than she expected for the head of a ninja village. But that wasn't what caught her attention. The object of her attention was the man sitting behind the desk.

The person sitting behind the desk was light-skinned man of below-average stature with grey hair. He had a small goatee and short spiked hair, both of which were grey, from old age. He also initially had a single line running vertically under outer corners of each eye, which stretched down into his face as he aged until they reached his cheeks. He had pronounced cheekbones , a prominent crease across his forehead, a few wrinkles, a wart near his left nostril, and a few liver-spots.

_t-this is the most powerful shinobi in this land?_

It was quite unbelievable for the small girl. To think this old man was the strongest. It was almost absurd in her eyes. But then again, what did she know? She didn't wish to judge, so she kept quiet and focused on a point above the man's hatted head and stood straight.

Then, realizing that she would have to introduce herself to the Hokage, she stood straight and introduced herself, looking at him dead in the eye- not caring if that would offend him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been the Hokage of the village for a long time. He had seen war veterans in his days. Hundreds of them, in fact. Those who had lost everything once precious to them, coming to the village to seek protection or a place to live, it wasn't new to him. Many of the citizens were in fact, lost from war. When a girl came into his office, not rudely, he was sure she was another war orphan. And he was pretty sure she was a civilian at first sight. With the pink hair and small build, that was the image projecting. But then, he got a sense of her chakra. _Oh my…_

'I am an orphan from the village of rice fields. My name is sakura haruno, and I require your assistance, please… Hokage-sama.' She finished her request with a slight bow.

When she had spoken to him, looking straight in the eye, he was surprised. Not many dared to do that. He felt slightly impressed and amused. But then he saw her eyes. Her green eyes haunting. It looked dead. Like she had seen too much for her age, Which she probably had.

_And she was so young.._

Feeling sympathy and slight worry over the small girl, he smiled and looked at her kindly. He felt it odd for someone so young speaking so formally.

'No need to be so formal, Sakura. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage of this village. I understand that you are a war veteran..?'

'I want to live here. My mother told me to come here right before her… death.' Sakura spoke, quite hollowly, but now looking at the man. He seemed nice enough, she supposed.

Sensing her reluctance to speak about her past, he let it drop. He could see she was being sincere about her words. She wasn't a threat. Though he was curious about another thing.

'I was curious about how you entered. The guards don't usually let anyone in.'

Realizing what he was asking about, she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the old Konoha headband her mother had kept for her specifically for this reason. Reluctantly, she gave the object to the kind man.

'My mother told me to show this to the guards to let me in. Apparently, I have connections to this village.' _Even if I don't know who they are._ She thought sourly.

He was curious about the Konoha headband the girl seemed to have and who it belonged to. He noted that it looked like a one he remembered from a few years ago and looked at it more closely. It seemed like a regular standard hitae-ate, but when he looked at the material in the corner, he saw a symbol. More specifically, a senju symbol. It wasn't easily recognizable, since it was in the corner and done with dark ink, but for him it was easy to recognize. He knew whose it was. Hideyoshi senju.

His eyes had widened barely, his face did not show the shock he felt at the moment. He then realized the truth when he looked at the girl.

_So she's the daughter he was going to have…_

Looking at her now, he could see the resemblances. It was in the nose, the face shape, the cheekbones and the eyes. It was most definitely his eyes. Fully green and determination burning through. Though her eyes were noticeably duller and emptier, but that was mostly because of the war. Hiruzen frowned. He knew she was probably an orphan, but that did not bode well for him.

He personally knew the bright Hideyoshi Senju. He was one of the best and strongest shinobi Konoha had ever produced and also one of the most kind hearted. He was known by mostly everyone, friend or foe. He had known he was dating a girl from some other country; he wouldn't stop talking about her. And looking up at the small girl, he could see this was the result. But now, it was tragic.

The child was an orphan. All alone.

Now he was determined to help her, to not make her feel alone in this world. Also judging by the chakra she has, she could become an asset to the village in the future. But he planned on not revealing anything of her past to her just yet.

'Well, Sakura, no need to be so formal, ne?' He said, smiling kindly, his eyes crinkling. 'I'd be happy to help. I'll give you your new accommodations and the like. If you have any problems at all, you can talk to me about it. Anything at all.' He said, the last part told in a somber tone.

Swallowing slightly, Sakura replied with a grateful 'arigatou gozimasu'.

Nodding, he addressed the next issue. 'Now, I'm pretty sure you have been trained, at least a little, in ninja arts, haven't you?'

Startled, Sakura could do nothing but nod for a few moments. Then she started to explain.

'My aunt, back home, was trained in the basics, and when I found out that I had the potential, she started to train me in the basics. '

'I thought as much. So, Sakura-chan, how would you like to continue your training here?'

The pinkette was a little shocked. She knew this was a ninja village, so she had hoped that she could, but she didn't think she would be getting an opportunity this fast. She wanted to improve her skills like anything. Now, that she knew her father _and_ mother were ninja, she had new found determination.

Eyes blazing, she nodded. 'Hai Hokage-sama. I would like it a lot if I could!'

He smiled at her determination to learn. To fight._ But at what cost?_ Pushing all those thoughts from his head, he spoke to her.

'There is a ninja academy here in the village for all the children who are to be taught the basics and ways of the ninja, it is the beginning of training. The New Year starts in a few days. It is a four year training after which you will be promoted to a higher rank and start completing missions for the village. You can start with the rest of the kids and clan heirs.'

Sakura was thrilled that she can finally get official training. That, and also because she could have something to do to forget about the pain and loneliness. She was still a bit confused on the whole subject, shown on her face by the lines in between her eyebrows, but she felt that she could pull through, giving a determined nod.

'Now before that, I need to know what all you have already learned to evaluate where you stand.'

Frowning thoughtfully, she remembered her previous training sessions and thought on all the things she had learned.

'Well, I know the basics of chakra already and how to mold it. I also learned all the handsigns. Weapons training and stamina training. And… oh I learned the basic jutsus's like the henge no jutsu and the bunshin jutsu and the like.' she said nonchalantly.

When he heard the number of things she had already learned, he already knew he had a prodigy on his hands. It was a rare occurrence for a child, a child of eight, no less, had learned all these which were basically most of the advanced curriculum of the academy. He only knew a few who had accomplished what she had. Itachi Uchiha was a rare exception. He had finished the academy at age seven and his rank was made higher at ten. But that was because his clan had pushed him into it.

But somehow, the girls determined eyes suddenly reminded him of itachi's.

_A genius._

Clearing his mind, he resumed speaking to her. 'Well then, you'd be able to fit right in. I will give you the academy details later after you have settled in. I'm pretty sure everything's been moving fast for you. I will assign someone to escort you to your new residence. Crow-san. Please come in.'

Suddenly, in a billow of smoke in the room, Sakura could make out a person in a mask and gear bowing in front of the Hokage. 'hokage-sama' the mysterious man said in a low voice.

'Please escort Sakura-chan to her new house.'

'Hai.'

satisfied, the Hokage turned back to the little girl and spoke to her softly.

' I hope you find your new home easy to adjust, Sakura-chan. I know it won't be easy...' he gazed at her in a fatherly kind of way 'but I hope that you will find happiness here. Also-'he gave the old hitai-ate back to Sakura. 'Keep this with you. It's a very special object and I'm pretty sure you'll find out why in the future.'

Naturally, Sakura was confused by the cryptic remarks of the old man, but she knew that he meant good. Also, she was thankful for the help he provided her with. Bowing as low as she could, she offered her eternal thanks and followed the masked man out through the door quietly, all the while wondering if she really could get used to Konoha.

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.

.

Itachi Uchiha was annoyed. He was a prodigy. One of the best. An Anbu captain at only thirteen! And yet, he was stuck escorting a weak looking girl to her new place. He wasn't heartless, contrary to what people may think, he knew she was an orphan due the war but he couldn't control his annoyance. He could be completing an s-rank mission or finding out information on the enemy, or do something to get the clan off of his head, but he was stuck_ here._

Looking at her though, he could tell she wasn't ordinary. Her eyes were looking all around the village sharply. Calculatingly, with a hard edge and… coldness. Of course, it could be due to the losses in the war, but he had a hunch, that she wasn't an ordinary girl. She couldn't be older than his little brother, but she already had more awareness than him of her surroundings. Maybe things will be interesting after all.

Sakura, on the other hand, was gazing around the village, sharply. Wouldn't do to get lost in this big, foreign place anyway. The man,_ no, boy_ escorting her couldn't be more than thirteen. But he had the aura of being more powerful beyond his years. She wasn't necessarily scared of him, but she wasn't comfortable around the stranger, who the Hokage had called crow, by any means. She figured crow must be some sort of code name, given to not reveal names. And the mask the boy wore did look like a crow.

While walking down the streets, crow suddenly stopped, making Sakura stop. They had stopped in front of a huge building with the kanji for fire written out front and many kids running around and practicing shuriken throwing in the back. The academy was quite large and is comprised of several buildings. The building has a tree in front of it which has a swing on it. She could vaugley see a blonde boy sitting on the swing, looking down. He looked… _isolated._

'This is the ninja academy. Hokage-sama had requested me to show you the building, since you are joining in a few days.'

'Oh… okay.'

He could sense that she wanted to ask something, so turning towards her, he asked her; 'what is it? If you have something to ask, speak up' in a monotone voice.

Flinching slightly, her gaze went directly towards her feet. But then:

_No! Don't show weakness. That should be your motto. Even if the guy you're walking with is in reality a robot…_

Inwardly snorting at the robot thought, she asked her questions.

'Um, so… how is the academy training?' she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Smiling a little, a miniscule curl of the lips, he answered. 'it's good to learn the basics and history and all. It's not that hard if you're determined.'

Pursing her lips, Sakura looked back at the academy. It seemed many kids her age had already started.

'When can I start?'_ I want to forget at least for a little while as soon as possible._

'You can start next week, on Monday. It'll be easier for you since a new batch of kids are coming in as well.'

At last, they had reached their destination. It was a shadowy place, not the best location for an eight year old orphan girl. But this was enough for Sakura. Better than any sunny, loud place where she couldn't mourn peacefully.

_My thoughts are awfully depressing…_

Stopping, the anbu turned towards her and kneeled down to her level.

Sakura, not expecting the boy to look at her intensely, started blushing and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Seeing that, Itachi stifled a smile, even though it wouldn't be seen under his mask.

'This is the place, fourth floor. Just go up the staircase. The academy starts next week, don't forget.'

'H-hai. Arigatou for taking me here…'

Smiling, he stood up and poked her on the forehead, just like he does with his otouto.

'itai!'

Blinking harshly, she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead.

'aa. Ja.'

And in a blink of an eye, he had disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

Still blinking from the abrupt departure of the lukewarm man_boy_, she entered the building with a heavy heart. The sky was a pretty shade of violet, with pink and yellow streaks lighting it up. She found her apartment relatively well.

It was small, with a small living room, with a counter as a kitchen, and a bedroom for one with an attached bathroom. It was just enough. It was also a dingy and dark place, but she didn't mind at all.

The bedroom already had a bed, a wardrobe and a nightstand. Walking to the window, she sat on the windowsill, looking at the view. The whole of Konoha could be seen, with the sunlight hitting the mountain proudly displaying all the previous Hokage's and the sky's brilliant hues ,making it a magnificent sight.

Her face was blank. Her eyes were hollow.

_Home._

A crystalline tear rolled down her cheek.

_This is my home now._

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.

The next few days were uncharacteristically slow. She did not go anywhere, save for roaming around in her new small house. The chest was safely kept in the drawer of the nightstand; it was too early for her. The katana, sash and the ribbon were also kept away. She knew this wasn't healthy, but she just didn't want to do anything, alone, reminding her that she truly was alone in the world.

Snapping out of her morose thoughts, she finally decided it was time._ No use in waiting anyway._

Gingerly taking the old wooden chest from the drawer, she laced it on the bed. Then taking the key she had found, she inserted it into the slot and turned.

_Click._

Biting her lip, she carefully opened the lid of the chest and looked inside. Papers. What seemed to be letters or papers were kept in the chest. Gently, she took all the contents from it and placed it on the bed, spreading them away from each other. She found the letter her mother said she had written first, as it was on the top of the pile and the paper looked new.

Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to read the letter and get it over with. So, that's what she did.

_**My dearest cherry blossom.**_

_**I'm pretty sure that if you're reading this letter, it means that I have passed on. I had suspected this would come sooner than later, but please don't be drowning in sorrow. If I have, I have probably passed on to a better place. A place with your father. **_

_**I know you have noticed that I always divert away from the topic of your father and I am deeply sorry for that. So, in this letter, I wanted to tell you the whole truth, or at least, as much as I know.**_

_**Your father was a shinobi. A great one. A legend in his own right, I would say. He was a konoha shinobi. A great person who I had fallen in love with. But he had given up his life for the sake of his comrades. Hideyoshi senju was a hero.**_

_**I know you suspected he was a shinobi,since you have your powers. I did know that you always went with Nashiko-san to train. I knew, and I didn't stop it. Because I always saw your father in you. You have his eyes…**_

_**Anyway, even if you had guessed that your father was a shinobi, the truth is I'm a ninja too.**_

_**I am originally from kaminari no kuni- a kumo kunoichi. I had retired from the ninja business when my whole family was killed in a bombing attack by foreign shinobi. From then on, I hated shinobi, and I never wished that life for you. The only exception was your father, and even then, whenever he had to go for missions, I was always scared.**_

_**I have also kept several scrolls and other letters in the chest. The letters are the remaining tings I have of your father. Those were the ones he sent me when we were apart.**_

_**I know…. That you may not have had the ideal life, but I hope you were never unhappy. It is a mother's wish that her child will always be happy. I know your life will probably be a dark and cold place in your mind, but don't think like that. Think of it as a new start. A new life. You may feel lonely and alone, but always remember that the friends you make will always be with you. I'm also with you, every step of the way, in your **__heart._

_**Don't give in to the darkness. Revenge doesn't make it any better. It makes it worse. Just live your life to the fullest. Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today. That was a quote **_**I **_**always believed in. and you should to. It helps.**_

_**I love you, so much.**_

_**Your mother**_

_**-Saori Haruno**_

_Drip._

_Drip._

Crystalline droplets of water, running down the length of her nose and cheeks, dripping from her eyelashes, falling on the rough paper, were creating a dripping noise. The only noise heard in the eerily quiet room. The sun was setting, creating shadows on her pale face. Gripping the crinkling paper roughly in her hands, she clenched her eyes shut and struggled to regain her composure, failing miserably.

_Her mother laughing at a joke. Yelling because she was worried. Her mother's sad gaze._

_Her mother smiling, holding her arms out for a hug._

Memories were flashing in light speed in her mind. It was too much. Finally regaining a bit of her composure by sucking in a gulp of air, she folded the paper carefully and kept it back in the chest.

The words in the letter were running by in her mind. Her mother had said there were more items from which she can find out about her father. Searching through the pages, still crying slightly, she came to a piece of paper she had overlooked before. Turning it, she saw it was an old photograph.

It was a photograph of three kids with an older man. Two boys and a girl. The boy on the right side had dark spiky hair, with a bluish tint and bangs falling on his forehead. He had dark onyx eyes and had a small smirk on his face. Is posture showed slight arrogance, with his arms folded and chin held high. The girl on the left side had long dark red hair and bluish green eyes. She was full-out grinning and she had her hands in a peace sign. She looked the tomboyish type but was very pretty. The boy in the middle had spiky blonde hair, also falling on his forehead and bright green expressive eyes. He had a kind smile on his face and had his hands behind his back. The older man stood behind the others. He had silvery gray hair, spiky, tied in a ponytail that reached just past his shoulders. He had a small smile on his face and dark eyes.

They couldn't be older than fifteen, with the exception of the older man and all were wearing konoha headbands. But what caught the pinkettes's attention was the blonde boy. He looked achingly familiar… _to her._

_No…could it be?_

Flipping the picture to see any clues, she found a messy scrawl.

**-Hatake sakumo**

**-Uchiha Setsuna**

**-Senju Hideyoshi**

**-Uzumaki Kushina**

**-Team 5-**

Hideyoshi senju..? his eyes were the very same as hers, she knew. And other parts too. This must be her father! At his teenage years. The others must be his friends or teammates.

She also noticed something else. His headband… it looked similar to the one she has. Running to her pillow, she snatched the headband from under it and compared it to the one in the photo. It was the same one! It was her father's headband….

Quickly wiping off any remaining tears on her face with her hands, she quickly searched for any other photos, and did not find any. Very Disappointed, she searched through the other letters placed in the chest by her mother, and found , to her slight happiness, that they were letters from her father to her mother and vice-versa whenever he was away. This bought a small smile on her face, and the few tears she so desperately held back, had spilled. But nonetheless, she started to read.

Dear Saori,

I miss you a lot. I'm with my anbu team on the Iwagakure border, searching for the enemies. We are dangerously close to enemy territory, but I have no fear. I am strong, after all. Also, Minato's here with me. He says hello, by the way. Kushina is also here. She wanted to stay by his side, since she was worried sick in the last mission when he returned home injured. She says she can't wait to see you again. I'll tell her not to scare you too much. I'm sending this just so you won't pace around all day and be worried for me. I know how you are, don't even deny it!

I'll see you soon. I promise.

Love,

Hideyoshi senju.

It was written in an elegant handwriting in calligraphy ink, with ink blotches in some areas. It looked elegant and ancient. It was small but perfectly understandable.

Reading this, it was obvious to the girl that her father was a man who was funny and caring. She could also clearly see love in his written words. She had no idea who Minato and Kushina were, or if they were even alive. She could see they all were close friends though.

All of these discoveries were taking an emotional toll on her already exhausted mind, but she was smiling. A genuine smile. After reading hideyoshi's first letter she read her mother's reply.

_My dear hideyoshi,_

_Your damn right I'm worried! You went on this alleged mission three weeks ago when you said it would 'only take one, tops!'. When you return, you're going to hear an earful, be sure of that! Anyway, moving on, tell Minato and Kushina hi from me. And tell Kushina that I miss her like crazy and she should visit with Minato sometime. It's incredibly lonely here. I miss you too._

_Return safely._

_With love,_

_Saori haruno._

The writing was loose, and free. Her mother sounded happy. She was even joking! She never used to do that. She was always either worried or serious. The moment when she used to smile or laugh was rare. _Now I know why. When mom lost him, it must have changed her life forever._

And so, to make herself feel better, she read letter after letter. The bantering and playful joking between her parents in these made her feel as if she was with them, joking with them, being with them.

That night, the small girl slept with a small smile on her face, letters strewn around on the floor.

.

.

.

Days passed by faster after that. One morning, after waking up from a vivid nightmare, she couldn't sleep. Taking labored breaths, she sat on the window sill, enjoying the fresh air and the quiet. The sun was just rising; the first rays of sunlight on the horizon could be seen, giving the whole village a mystical effect.

It was the same nightmare. The nightmare of the massacre. Even though she knew her mother had passed on to a better place, she was restless and angry. She felt cold and alone. Thoughts of revenge were floating around in her head, but she resisted. She didn't want to go through that path. But it never went away, always in the back of her mind. She could feel herself closing in. wrapping her arms around her waist, the huddled up pinkette thought about the importance of the day.

_That's right. It's the first day of the academy. I know I should be excited, but I'm just relieved that I'll have something else to occupy my mind. But then again…. What if I'm not good enough? All the other kids are probably from ninja clans; training from their early years, while I-_

She shook off her negative thoughts. Biting her lip and scrunching her eyebrows, she decided to get ready, have breakfast and walk to the academy to reach their early. Not wanting to be late on the first day itself.

After wearing the ninja garb her late aunt had bought for her last birthday, she set out to the academy. Only the pitter-patter of footsteps could be heard throughout the street. She was slowly getting used to the place. The people bustling about, ninjas in every wake, all the noise…. It's become strangely close to her.

Then she saw the huge building with the tree out font and the kanji for fire on the top. Seeing the other kids were already there, she went in and stood to one side, not wanting to be near them. It was depressing, to see all the other kids with their parents, hugging and kissing and wishing their kids good luck. It just reminded her that she was alone, all over again. They were all here for the admission to the academy.

A select few children stood out. There was a blonde girl making a lot of noise with her group of friends in the back. She also noticed two boys, one with hair resembling a pineapple and another who was kind of fat and kept on munching on potato chips, laying on the roof, seemingly watching the clouds. She raised an eyebrow at that.

_It's the first day of the academy! How can they laze around like that… ?_

Looking around, she saw the same blonde boy sitting on the swing, but he wasn't swinging or anything or anything, he looked depressed.._ .Alone. _He reminded her of herself. She took a step towards the lonely boy but faltered when she noticed that only they both and another family were still standing outside.

Helplessly, the small looked around for anyone else her age so that she can follow them, but there was no one. She knew she could go ask the family that looked like were still conversing with their child, but she was just too shy, and also seeing them together, gave her a funny feeling in her stomach.

Finally seeing no other option, she walked towards the small huddled family. She saw they there was a mother, a father, a boy who looked older than her and a boy her same age. Gathering courage, she approached the woman. She looked a bit kinder than the rest.

'A-ano, excuse me? Would you please show me the way to the registration office?'

The woman turned around, stopping her conversation. She was very pretty, was Sakura's first thought. Long ebony hair, onyx eyes, pale skin and a kind smile, Sakura felt herself relax. She also saw the older brother turn around and something akin to recognition passed his eyes. A ghost of a smirk could be seen on his face.

.

.

.

Mikoto Uchiha was a proud woman. A full-fledged jounin, uchiha matriarch and the mother of one anbu captain and a son who was entering the academy. She, along with the rest of her family had come to the academy to support Sasuke on his first day. She knew Fugaku was rolling his eyes and scowling behind her. She didn't _want_ to make a scene, but she couldn't help it. Her baby, her Sasuke, was entering the academy. She knew he was growing up, he has got to some time, but she felt it was way too early. Keeping her tears at bay, she hugged her youngest tightly.

'Now, if you don't want to join the academy this year, it's totally fine! You-'

'_Mom!_ We talked about this! I want to be a strong shinobi, like nii-san!' Sasuke replied, puffing up his cheeks and turning his head to the other side.

'Hn. Mikoto, don't baby him. Or else he won't learn.' The head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku, said gruffly, scowling. When sasuke heard his father, he blushed harder and frowned.

Mikoto couldn't resist. She hugged him again. She was about to ask him again when she heard someone behind her speak.

'A-ano, excuse me? Would you please show me the way to the registration office?'

Turning around she saw a small girl, with big doe green eyes, a small frown on her face and pastel pink shoulder length hair. She was fidgeting with the hem of her top.

_Kawaii!_ Mikoto squealed in her head. It would be undignified if she did it on the outside. But the girl was too cute. Mikoto smiled.

The girl's fidgeting increased. Mikoto guessed it was because no one was saying anything and everyone was staring at her._ No to mention anyone would lose their nerve when Fugaku and Itachi are staring holes into the person._

Suppressing a sigh, she took it upon herself to make the girl more comfortable.

Smiling a kind smile, she answered. 'Sure! We were just going there ourselves. What your name, kodomo?'

Relaxing seeing as she agreed to show the way, she decided it wouldn't be so bad answering.

'Sakura. Sakura Haruno.'

' I see. It's your first day too, huh? Well, my baby boy Sasuke is also starting the academy today.' She replied sweetly, bringing Sasuke to the front.

'_Mom!_ Stop calling me a baby boy! I'm not-'he stopped short, when he saw the pink haired girl was staring at him with her green orbs amusedly. He blushed a pretty shade of pink immediately but stayed his ground._ No, not pretty, manly!_

Seeing that, Mikoto smiled. 'C'mon Sasuke. Introduce yourself to Sakura. She's not going to bite.' She told him, chuckling a bit.

Reluctantly, Sasuke looked at the pink haired girl and offered his palm. '…. Sasuke uchiha.'

Still amused, she held his hand in a handshake. 'Nice to meet you. Sakura Haruno' and then took her hand back._ Cute._

'Hn. Can we go now?' Sasuke whispered the last part to Mikoto's ear, not wanting to whine in front of his potential classmate.

'Mhmm, let's go! C'mon Fugaku, Itachi.'

'hn.'

'hn.'

Mikoto sighed. Sasuke was annoyed. Sakura was amused.

Once they reached the registration office and all the work was done, Mikoto was kind enough to help with her registration too; they were about to part ways.

Bowing again, she told gratefully: 'arigatou gozaimasu, Mikoto-san! I wouldn't have known where to go without your help.'

Looking at her, Mikoto somehow couldn't help it. She went up to the sweet child, kneeled down and hugged her. 'It's quite alright, Sakura-chan. I'm glad.'

Sakura, on the other hand was startled. When she realized what was happening, she imagined it to be her mom._This is different…. I miss you, mom._

When she felt tears forming, she held them back desperately. Mikoto let go of her and told Sasuke to go with her into the classroom together.

'So that you both will have someone you know.' Was the reasoning given. With a last bow to the Uchiha family, she, along with Sasuke entered the academy as beginners.

_._

_._

_._

The academy was tough. Days, weeks, months passed since she first started. It was time consuming, it was exhausting, it was tough, _and it was exhilarating._

She had progressed to one of the best in class, naturally, because she had already learned most of the things taught by Nashiko-baa.

Students were taught the Shinobi Rules. Special lectures read by highly experienced shinobi were sometimes held.

Taught by chūnin instructors, all ninja potentials were lectured on tactics and strategies. They were instructed on the basics of trap-setting as well as how to strengthen their minds and bodies. They were taken through the handling of ninja weapons and tools, like shuriken and kunai, learning how to throw and wield them through target practice. All these were excelled by Sakura. She was intelligent. Not as smart as Shikamaru, the resident lazy genius, but a genius In her own right. Academy students were also taught about chakra and how to use it, hand seals and the basic levels of:

Taijutsu classes serve as the Ninja Academy's equivalent of Physical education class. In taijutsu class, students are engaged in physical activities to help train their bodies and develop their stamina. Sakura was one of the lowest in this class, she never was any good at fighting, she remembered. This forced to practice taijutsus every day. Different forms and katas, different strategies and stamina building were all done. She still wasn't the best in the class, but she was getting there.

_Soon._

Ninjutsu classes provide the bulk of what potential ninja learn at the Academy. Techniques such as the Transformation Technique and the Clone _Technique_ are taught to students at the Academy that will build up to what they'll learn from their jōnin-sensei. The chunins and jonins who taught were very impressed by Sakura, who had mastered it on the first day itself. The only others who had were the clan heirs, but it was impressive, the said, for a girl from no clan to master it so easily. They had no idea that she had practiced it beforehand, but didn't bother to correct them.

Genjutsu classes are not touched much upon except for explaining what genjutsu is. Sakura found out she had an affinity for genjutsu.

All in all, she was one of the best in the year's batch. She was sharing the number one spot with Sasuke.

Sasuke was a whole different story. They weren't close, as Mikoto wished them to be, due to Sakura's apathetic nature and Sasuke hanging out with his own group of friends. But they were acquaintances who acknowledged each other. Sasuke always waved goodbye to her at the end of the day and she would wave back. They had become each other's helpers in any subject they had difficulty, which wasn't much, because they were the best of the class.

Then came the bloody day Konoha would never forget.

_The Uchiha Massacre._

Some say it was because Itachi had snapped because of the pressures of the clan. Some say it was because he hated his family. There were many other rumors too, but these were the most widely known ones. It was a horrible case of genocide.

Sakura didn't believe it at first, since she had seen firsthand the affection in his eyes when he looked at his younger brother. He may have been excellent in hiding his emotions, but whenever Sasuke came into view; his eyes would show the love. It was palpable. It could be seen in the way itachi used to come to the academy to pick Sasuke up. The way Itachi gave a piggy back ride for Sasuke whenever he got hurt. He was the ultimate brother. It was quite obvious Sasuke worshipped him. Sakura often found herself jealous at their close bond. Now, everything had changed.

She knew the massacre had happened. She had hidden from view when the shinobi's were searching the scene, and she had seen the damage. The whole of the district was a ghost town. Tape surrounding the scene and the stench of blood was still in the air. She felt a loss, not as big as when she lost her mother, but close, because of the death of Mikoto, who reminded her of her mother for a fleeting moment. It was too similar to her story.

She had heard from passerby's that Sasuke was taken to the local hospital for a physical and mental evaluation. She felt deep agony for Sasuke, because she knew how it felt to lose everyone you love, right in front of your eyes. It was unimaginable and you can never recover from it. She wanted to go and comfort him, but she knew that he may be still in shock. That's how she was, anyway.

That night when she slept, the nightmares reappeared.

.

.

.

Sasuke had changed. It was expected, but it was like his whole personality had changed overnight. She cant complain, she was the same way. From bright and sunny, she had changed to moody and silent.

She never talked to Sasuke, he never talked to her. Or anyone. He was silent. Dark. Unapproachable.

One day, when Sakura was walking back to her apartment, she saw Sasuke sitting on the dock, staring at the water. Hiding behind a tree, she peered out to see what he was doing. Understanding that he was staring at his reflection, she was both fascinated and sad at the emotions that crossed his face at that moment.

Confusion. Shock. Anger.

And suddenly, with a snarl, he jumped into the freezing water. Shocked, she ran to the dock, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to see her, and looked into the water.

'Hey! H-hey!... Sasuke?'

Now concerned, she was about to jump in the water to look for him, when he suddenly sprang up and pushed himself onto the dock, panting.

'H-hey, you okay?' Sakura asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to provoke him anymore.

He didn't reply, just looked straight ahead. Though the annoyance had joined the expression of anger on his face.

Sakura decided not to say anything. She just sat there; arms wrapped around her knees and watched the setting of the sun and the brilliance of the sky.

After a few moments, she whispered 'I know what you're going through, you know'

Sasuke's head whipped around so fast she was afraid he had gotten whiplash, but her concern melted away when she saw the furious expression on his face.

'Don't you ever say you know what I'm going through! You don't!_ You'll never understand!'_ he snapped harshly, panting a bit.

Sakura didn't say anything to that. Her eyes had gone blank and she turned her head up to look at the sky. Her face held no emotion. After a moment, she replied.

'You're wrong. I know more than anyone…. The same thing happened to me too, you know. I lost my family too.' She whispered, her voice cracking on the word family. Then she turned to look at him, and Sasuke could see all the emotions she had hidden the whole time they knew each other.

Agony. Pain. Loss. Loneliness. Anger.

'I'm not going to say _it'll get better _or_ just forget it_ because you can't _forget it _and it won't _get better._ It will always be there. The thing you have to ask yourself is, are you going to do something about it move on from the past... think about it.' She continued somberly.

She then stood up and walked away, not looking at him once throughout her whole speech. If she had, she would've known that Sasuke had been staring at her the whole time with slightly widened eyes and had followed her form till she was out of sight.

Turning around, Sasuke shook his head, water droplets falling from his hair and stared at his reflection again.

_Do something and move on, huh?_

_._

_._

_._

_And that's it for this chapter!that was long..17 pages. I wrote the whole sasusaku childhood thing because I wanted to give them_ some_ history. Anyway, next chapter is timeskip to graduation. Team 7 will be born and naruto is properly introduced!_

_Anyway, did you guys see the trailer to road to ninja? It looks epic! But it'll only come with eng sub on april 2013, so that sucks…_

_Constructive criticism is appreciated .really. but please no flames._

_I would like to thank—_

_SwtAzn_

_AnimeBear _

_Grace Tarpley _

_wierdpony115_

_for favouriting or following my story!_

_Pleaaaaasssssee review!or follow!or favorite my story!_

_-fourthfireshadow-_


	5. Team 7 born!

Disclaimer- I do not own naruto. I simply write the fiction.

_**Legend of a descendant **_

**- Team 7 born!**

_**-**_ _**"The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy." ~Jim Rohn **_

The rectangular slab of metal inscribed with the leaf insignia, gleaming in the sunlight was cool against her palm. She was fresh out of the academy. A full-fledged ninja. Now the real training begins. Twelve years old, and a possible ninja.

_Kami-sama._

Sakura's life was such an emotional rollercoaster up till now. But she was only registering the piece of metal and cloth in her hand. Her hitai-ate. Her own. Now everyone will know she was on her way to be a great ninja. On her way to surpass her parents. One of whom was the legendary Senju.

She had heard stories, and heard rumors and pretty much everything else in between about her legendary father, she didn't know if it was true or not, but it was enough to keep her going. No one knew her blood ties, and she wanted to keep it that way. She wanted to find out more herself about her father. And her mother. She was a bigger mystery for Sakura. Saori was a kumo-nin. It would be harder for her to find information on a ninja from another country, but she wouldn't give up. Not now, not ever. These were, after all, the only things she could hang on to.

Tying the leaf headband on her head as a headband, she walked along the streets, staying out of the people's frantic ways. The sun was high in the sky, and the weather in Konoha was getting hotter and hotter.

_I think I'm in the mood for dango.._

Deciding to go to the stand where she knew sold the best dango ever; she walked her way over, looking at her surroundings at the same time. Not much had changed since the pinkette first came here. The streets were still filled with people, the merchants and store owners on the side trying to sell their item, kids running around, laughing. A bright atmosphere covered the whole village.

'Ohayou.'

The old lady behind the counter of the dango store smiled when she saw one of her regular customers, the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth crinkling.

'Why, hello Sakura-chan! Here for more dango?'

'Yes please, I'll have two.' She replied, smiling sheepishly.

'It's no problem, dear. It'll just take a moment. I'm pretty sure without you, my sales would go down, quite a lot' the older woman told her, chuckling and handed over the food to Sakura.

'Mou, I'm not that bad!' she paid the money while pouting. 'Anyway, arigatou. Ja!' waving, she turned back and decided to go to the park to just relax.

Walking along the stone pavements, she started eating her dango. Looking at her sides, she could see children playing ninja hide and go seek. A very fun game for to-be ninja's. She could see them laughing, their parents watching over them from afar. Normally, this would've made Sakura very envious and depressed four years ago, but now she could only feel a numb feeling come over her. She was neither happy nor sad. She didn't know if that was a good thing or bad.

After finishing of her snack, she thought about the upcoming day. It was going to be hectic, she was sure. That was the day the teams were selected. She desperately hoped it would help her in the long run.

The pinkette was disturbed from her thought when something knocked into her. A body. 'Oof!'

Knowing that she was falling backwards with the person who knocked into her, she quickly grabbed onto the shoulder of the person, who was shorter than her thankfully, and did an Ariel flip, successfully avoiding falling down. Unfortunately, the force of her flip on his shoulder pushed the person forward, effectively knocking him down, hard.

Quickly looking down, she saw that it was a boy with blonde hair; at least it seemed like blond hair, who was sprawled on the ground and rubbing his head. The ice cream he was carrying had fallen on his hair, the ice cream dripping all over his hair and smeared on his face.

'Owww…what the-?'

He tried rubbing the melted ice cream off his face but it was only making it worse. Stopping his exaggerated attempts to get the goo off his face, Sakura looked at him apologetically.

'Wait, you're only making it worse. I'll help get it off.'

She knew the boy tried to look up at her, but couldn't because of the mess on his face. But she could easily identify his megawatt grin, full force. Taking that as an acceptance of help, she took the rag she had carried with her and started wiping off the mess from his hair first. It was blonde, as she predicted. And spiky.

'Thanks! Oh, and sorry for running into you back there. Uh...I was running away… from ..Uh.. Iruka-sensei.' He said, his grin turning a bit sheepish by the end of it.

'But that flippy thing you did back there was _so _cool, Sakura-chan!'

Startled, she stopped wiping his face and looked at him to see if she knew this boy from somewhere. Probably the academy. She saw that his eyes were an intense blue. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Eyes widening at the signature orange she spotted in his outfit, she recognized him immediately.

_Naruto Uzumaki ._ The loud boy in the academy. The one who dreams of becoming hokage. She remembered often being annoyed by his rash antics but she was always intrigued by his level of determination.

Plus, she had already found out a connection between the brash boy and her past. The name of a person in the picture of her father's team was Kushina _Uzumaki._ The pinkette never believed it was a coincidence. After all, Uzumaki was no clan name. At least, she knew not in Konoha, since she had researched and asked around. And from what she'd seen, Naruto was an orphan. But even if she hadn't found any more information connecting her to her father, she had felt a sort of bond to the boy with whom she had never even talked to, not only because there was a high chance that their parents could have been in the same team but simply because they were the same. Alone.

'Thanks Naruto. But it wasn't much. Just a flip.' She replied to his comment, her voice soft.

Naruto's blue eyes snapped open and widened, staring at her, his face a deep shade of red. Unnerved, Sakura asked him '..What?'

Snapping out his daze, he replied after a moment's hesitation. 'Nothing, nothing!' he replied, grinning cheekily, 'it's just that, I never thought you would know who I was.'

Narrowing her eyes, she thought about it. It could be true, she supposed. She recalled that he never had any friends at the academy, he was always alone. Pulling some prank or the other, doing the jutsus wrong and making Iruka-sensei mad. He was always isolated for some reason she couldn't understand. But who was she to talk? She was just like him in the loneliness aspect. Whenever she used to stare longingly at the parents who would come to pick up their kids from the academy, she always noticed Naruto standing there alone too. Staring longingly, just like her.

She always did want to go and talk to him, but never did for some reason. She knew he would be one of the only people who she could relate to. But she never did.But she knew one of the reasons was because subconsciously, he reminded her in a lot of ways about Takumi. _Now's my chance though._

She knew one of the things he liked to do best was to train. She decided to pick up on that trail.

'Hey, Naruto, how would you like to spar with me?'

Snapping his royal blue eyes at her, he looked at her in disbelief._ D-did she just..? _Regaining his voice, he asked her his question, his voice filled with doubt and hope.

'But… why would you _want to? _I mean, I'm one of the dead lasts and..-'

'Look, I don't care about that! I just wanted to train with you. If you're that bad we'll work on it. We have a few days before going back to the academy, so we have time. So, what is it, you coming or what?' she replied, while walking away a bit.

To Naruto, at that moment, her head turned slightly to look back at him, and the afternoon rays of the sun all around her, she looked like a hero. And to him, she was one. Because he knew that she was the first person who wanted to willingly be his friend.

Grinning widely, he ran after her, excited about what was coming up.

'Wait up!'

.

.

.

Their training started right when they reached the training grounds. They were at training ground three, where Konoha ninja's come frequently to practice their skills and techniques. Naruto could feel his nervousness but faced Sakura. Sakura was calm and collected. In the blink of an eye, there were three kunai embedded into the ground before his feet. Jumping, Naruto nervously looked up with wide eyes at Sakura, she had a small smirk on her face.

'Always be prepared. Come on, Naruto, we learnt this in the academy. Come at me with your best shot.'

Nodding his head and preparing himself, he charged head on toward Sakura, hoping to get a direct hit. But Sakura knew his plan was useless. Crouching a bit, she waited till he reached her spot and jumped high, above him and twisted her leg in a round to knock Naruto off his feet. Seeing him disgruntled, Sakura let down her guard a bit and was about to stand up from her crouched position, when all of a sudden, Naruto pulled at her and pinned her to the ground, him holding a kunai across her neck.

'Hehe, I've got you now, Sakura-chan! There's no escape-eh?' Naruto boisterously yelled with a killer grin before turning quiet due to confusion. A thick smoke replaced where Sakura currently and when it dissipated, he sonly saw a log. Looking around in confusion, he finally came upon realization.

'What?! A replacement?! But then where's the-?'

'Cha!'

Turning around, Naruto was met with a hard punch in the face, delivered by Sakura herself, which knocked Naruto back a few feet. Not wasting any time, Sakura ran to where he was and pointed a kunai to his face.

'Give?' she asked in a sweet tone, but the smirk pulling up at her lips didn't match it.

'Uhh…. Best two out of three?' he asked weakly, squinting up at her and nursing his poor bruised jaw.

_If trainings gonna go like this all the time, im gonna be creamed! No wonder sakura was one of the top in the outdoor fighting classes…._

_Awww man, I won't be able to eat ramen properly today with this bruise!_

.

.

.

From then on, it was regular meet ups for training and sparring. Taijutsu and the basic techniques only. Sakura soon found out that Naruto had immense chakra reserves that would allow him to use the shadow clone jutsu frequently which was his trump card, and massive stamina, but did not think through his plans and just rushed ahead. Naruto on the other hand, learnt that Sakura's number one spot at the academy was well deserved. She was awesome at fighting and executing many of the basic techniques to get out of tricky situations and her only downside was her slightly lacking stamina.

So, in the few days they had before they had to return to the academy, they practiced to get rid of their flaws. Sakura ran laps around the village everyday till she was out of breath and on the verge of collapsing and Sakura tried to teach Naruto the art of patience and thinking things through. Key word being _tried._

That didn't work out so well.

Their friendship had progressed a lot and it somehow made their loneliness a little bit smaller. It wasn't any less for them, but it was getting easier. And for that she was thankful.

The final day before going to the academy, the two genin ninjas were seen recuperating at ichiraku ramen after a sparring match, which inevitably, sakura won in the end. The sky was streaked with rows of multi colors with the sun set and the streets were busy as usual.

_It's been a long time since I've come here from my old village…. This is my home know.. I don't know if I'm relieved or sad about that…_

The pinkette was snapped out of her thoughts when Naruto started talking after he finished scarfing down three bowls of ramen. _Man, he eats fast._

'Ano… Sakura-chan, do you think we'll be put in the same team? I really want to.' He said somberly, his gaze on the countertop, with a pink tint on his cheeks.

The girl didn't notice any of that. She had heard his question and got lost on her train of thoughts.

_Teams. That's a major aspect in shinobi life, I've noticed. It's always teams of three. Which team will I belong to? And if none of us in a team are able to work with each other, what will we do then? It's a-_

'Sakura-chan?'

Snapping out of her thoughts, she saw the concerned blue gaze on her. 'Me too, Naruto. It would be good to have a familiar face.' She was quick to reassure. But she did still have the occasional doubt lingering in the back of her head.

After staring a bit longer at the pink haired girl next to him, he looked away, still troubled, and ordered. 'One more miso, old man!'

'Right away!' Teuchi, the man who owned and run the joint yelled back.

He did have his doubts. He never knew why he was so isolated. He wasn't the one to act that way. He always wanted to make friends but, whenever any of the parents saw him, they would take their kids away, leaving him alone. And then came along Sakura, who became his first friend. If she wasn't there…

'Hey, don't worry so much. Even if we won't be in the same team, we'll still hang out, okay? Now cut it out. Seriousness doesn't suit you.'

Startled, he looked up to see Sakura looking at her ramen quietly, looking as if she doesn't have a care in the world, but he knew that wasn't true. Yet, she still tries to reassure him. He isn't as stupid as everyone makes him out to be. He knows she may be a person who could understand him. He knows she may also be alone. But she always tries to hold her emotions in and be strong and effortless for _him._

'Here you go! One miso ramen.'

_You don't have to go through hard times alone, Sakura-chan. That's what friends are for…_

Reassured about the next day and determined to help his first friend out, his smile returned full force and he clapped his hands together in anticipation at the steaming sight of his favorite ramen.

'Itadakimasu!'

'…..'

Sakura only smiled lightly and said nothing at the sight of Naruto's smile returning.

_It looks like he got his spirit back._

_._

_._

_._

The next day looked to be a good day. Dawn's rosy fingers just touched the sky, softly letting pink and purple hues take over the black velvet. The birds began their morning, the streets were bustling and all in all, it looked to be a good day.

Haruno Sakura stretched, earning herself a satisfied _crack _from her sore joints. Her green gaze slid up to the ceiling as she thought to herself.

_My first day as a ninja…. Is finally here…_

She took a deep breath and let it out with a _whoosh_, then stood up. She did a couple of choice stretches until she felt content she was warmed up enough to start her day.

As she entered the academy building, she walked to the assigned classroom and was about to enter it when she was almost pushed out of the way by a barreling Ino but she managed to right herself in time.

'Oh! Sorry Sakura-san! Didn't see you there!' Ino told the pink haired girl, stopping in front of her. 'I didn't see you there! I was in a rush to get to class, you know?'

'Yeah, it's fine Ino. Its-'

'Oh shoot! There's _already_ a crowd around _Sasuke-kun?!_ But I was _early!_' the preppy, loud girl muttered loudly with a vein throbbing on her forehead. Turning back towards Sakura with a sweet forced smile, she went back to her apology, albeit rushed. 'Anyway, I'm sorry for that but I have to _go _teach those girls a lesson. Bye, Sakura-san!' and she rushed from there to go join the ever growing mob.

'Bye…Ino.' The pinkette muttered to the trail of smoke left by Ino in her wake. She was still a bit creeped out by Ino's apparent _fangirlism._

_And to think they're all future __**protectors **__of the village._

Shaking her head with a sigh, she trekked in to the class and searched for a seat. Only a few students were present in the class. And it seemed as if most of the people present in the class had surrounded around one desk in particular.

_The Uchiha's._

Honestly, Sakura wasn't sure what to make of the lone Uchiha survivor. After their one sided conversation on that fateful night, they hadn't spoken ever since. The only time they acknowledge each other's presence is when they beat each other at an activity.

She figured it was better to not have any contact with anyone, him included. After all, the only _friend _she has is Naruto.

Forgetting all about the mob around his desk, she sat on the desk behind his and kept her head down to get some sense of peace from the loud fangirling. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be expected whenever Naruto was involved.

.

.

.

Naruto woke up with a bright smile on his face. Wiping the residue drool of his face, he lay staring at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. _Maa…todays my first day…_

The day went great. After dressing in his favorite orange jumpsuit with blue and white, he had his breakfast. The instant ramen wasn't as great as the one's in ichiraku's, but it'll do.

Munch Munch. Gulp Gulp.

_Though the milk was kinda sour and tasted weird today.._ Naruto forget all about that in an instant. Nothing was going to spoil his day. He was about to put on his goggles on his head but then remembered, he had a hitai-ate now. He was a ninja. Tying his headband on his forehead, he grinned broadly at his reflection in the mirror and jumped out of the house, eager to reach the academy and see Sakura-chan.

Nothing was going to spoil his day. No siree.

So it was only a matter of time till the opposite happened.

Whistling, he looked at his surroundings and grinned when some citizen looked at the headband on his forehead bewilderedly. Reaching the academy classroom, his day brightened up once more when he saw his friend.

'Good morning saaaakura-chyaaan!'

The glare he got from her would have killed any normal person on the spot. So naturally, Naruto was oblivious to all the tension. 'Maa… why are you sleeping like that, Sakura-chan?'

Gritting her teeth, she mustered up all the patience and answered. 'I was _trying _to get some peace and quiet, Naruto!' she yelled, her eyes blazing.

Naruto grinned sheepishly while scratching his head. 'Hehe, right. But why are you tryin- wait. What's with the mob of girls there?'

Shaking her head at Naruto's antics she sighed and told him. 'fangirls. Uchiha. Hope you can piece things together.' _Just don't make a scene._

'Hey! Isn't that the uchiha-teme's place?! Why are all the girls surrounding him?' and with that, he stormed off to the scene.

_Oh great. I know for sure this isn't going to end well. Oh well. Some entertainment, I guess._

And with that, Sakura leaned back in her seat, her arms folded, with a small smirk on her face.

_Uchiha Sasuke. The look on those girls' faces says it all! I don't get it! What's so good about him!? Sitting there, looking all cool and crap. Che, bastard._

Naruto leaped on the desk where Sasuke was and a staring contest between the two boys was born.

_Is that…. Lightning crackling... Between them?,_ Sakura snorted inwardly in her mind.

'Get out of Sasuke-kun's face, loser!'

'Kick his ass, Sasuke-kun!'

'Yeah, yeah!'

Looking at the mob of girls, he gulped at the intense glares sent his way. Then Naruto suddenly felt a push from behind, which made him fall forward._ Uh oh._

The guy who accidently pushed Naruto turned back to apologize. 'Hey, sorry man. Didn't – oh'

_Oh. Dear. God._ Sakura's eyes were wide and her jaw dropped a fraction. Somewhere in the insidE of her mind, she could hear a loud ringing laughing noise. _Yep. I'm going crazy._

'AAAIIEEE! Get off Sasuke-kun, loser!'

Jumping off of Sasuke, he gagged and wretched, while Sasuke did the same.

'Naruto, you bastard! I'll kill you!' Sasuke snapped with his death glare, but the effect was somewhat ruined by his slightly green face.

'I think my mouth's rotting!' Naruto wailed. _What is this…foreboding? ...I sense something bad…_

Mechanically turning his head, a sweating Naruto was met with the sight of doom. Ino and a bunch of loyal fangirls cracked their knuckles and looked at him with maniacal grins and eyes of death.

'Naruto', Ino began in a creepy voice, 'you're DEAD!'

'AAAAHH! Sakuraaa-chyaan! Help!' he screamed pathetically looking at his only hope, while running away from a bunch of girls after his death.

Shaking her head, she looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes 'I told you not to do it. Face the consequences, baka.' She then leaned back and closed her eyes, easily ignoring the rest of his pleas.

'Aw, come on!'

.

.

.

'Beginning today all of you are real ninja's… but you are still merely rookie genin. The hard part has just started.' Iruka-sensei's loud booming voice echoed throughout the now quiet room.

Sakura looked away from the teacher and to the occupant of the seat to her right. Naruto was truly a pitiful sight with bruises all over and a big lump on his head which he was cradling with both his arm, occasional whimpers coming from him.

_Idiot. He could've avoided the whole thing, __**but no**__. knuckle-head._

Sighing, she turned her gaze back to Iruka. 'Now, you will soon be assigned duties by the village. So today, we will be creating the three man teams and each team will have a jounin sensei. You will follow the sensei's instructions as you complete the assigned duties.'

_Sakura-chan, of course! And then…hmmm…humph! Anyone other than sasuke-teme!_ , Naruto huffed angrily in his head.

_Pfft… three man teams? Che. That's just more people in my way, _Sasuke thought angrily, glaring at his desk top.

Sakura's emerald eyes sparked. _This is it. Most likely the team I'll be stuck with for life. I guess I shouldn't be pessimistic; after all, it may be interesting._

'I'll be reading out the teams now'

_**Six teams later…**_

'Next, team seven, Haruno Sakura- '

Sakura's eyes snapped up-

'—Uzumaki Naruto—'

'YATTA!' Naruto yelled, jumping off his seat. Sakura hid a smile behind her hand.

'—and Uchiha Sasuke.'

And as fast as Naruto had jumped up, he crashed right back down to his seat. _Damn._

Sakura wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She wasn't happy as when she found out Naruto is her teammate, but she isn't depressed as Naruto seemed to be. Sakura chose to keep quiet. She looked discreetly at the Uchiha to see his reaction and wasn't surprised to see no emotion on his expressionless face. However, she did notice his shoulders tensing and his fingers twitching, as if he wanted to clench them.

'Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding ninja like _me _have to be on the same team as _that _bum?!' Naruto all but shouted haughtily, puffing out his chest in an attempt to appear more strong, capturing the attention of the entire class.

Sakura could feel a migraine coming and subtly tried to catch Naruto's attention with her eyes._ Baka! What do you think you're doing?!_

She could see that Iruka-sensei was startled at the question, but quickly started to lecture Naruto- ' Sasuke's grades were the highest among all the twenty seven graduates.. Naruto, you were the lowest. We have to do this to balance the teams. Understand?'— succeeding on humiliating naruto in front of the whole class.

'Che. Just don't get in my way, dobe.' Sasuke's voice cut through, piercing. Sakura guessed it had a dramatic effect since now all the fangirls were staring at him with hearts in their eyes and hands clasped in front of their faces. But that was overlooked by everyone to see how Naruto would retort. He was red and shaking all over. A sure sign he was about to blow.

_Oh boy. This is going to get ugly…_

'What did you call me, teme?!'

Sakura sighed and thought sarcastically,_ well __**this**__ should work out.._

_._

_._

_._

_Of all the people I could be paired up with from the graduates, it __**had**__ to be the two who would get on my nerves…_

Sakura looked at the two genin in the classroom they were currently in. The raven haired genin was in his classic pose. His hands intertwined in front of _his_ face, only revealing his eyes, which were, no surprise, glaring into space. _Seriously! Why does he have to glare __**all **__the time?_

The blonde, was pacing back and forth, mumbling under his breath. 'Why the hell is he so late? I can't believe this! I mean-'

'Naruto' Sakura interrupted his tirade. 'Shut up. Stop pacing and just sit down.' She said, exasperated.

Naruto suddenly rounded on her. 'But sakura-chan! He's late! Aren't jounins supposed to be powerful? Well, how can he be powerful if he can't even tell the time right! All the other kids are off with their jounin sensei's doing cool ninja things but me? I'm stuck here waiting for the lazy ass!' he exclaimed.

'I… guess you have a point, but Naruto, he may have a reason.' Sakura could have spared him a sympathetic gaze but he had been going at it for a while now. The best she could offer him was a glare.

Sakura leaned back on her chair, supporting her body comfortably with her hands and looked up, tuning out Naruto's rambling._ Its more than a point. Where is the guy? Doesn't he know this is important?_

Suddenly, Naruto's face brightened up. Sakura could easily imagine a light bulb appearing over his head. 'I've got an idea!' Naruto suddenly declared and ran to the teacher's desk and got a board eraser.

Skipping over to the door, he stood on a stool near the door entrance and expertly lodged the eraser between the two boards and giggled mischievously. 'That'll teach him!'

'Naruto, _what _are you doing now?' Sakura inquired a bit harshly.

An impish grin grew on his face as he jumped off the stool. 'Just teaching our dear sensei a lesson on punctuality! Hehe.' Was the answer that followed, Naruto wiping his dusty hands on his pants.

The raven haired ninja sitting in the corner finally spoke. 'Like a jounin is going to fall for such a trap.' He scoffed.

'Grrrr. Whatever teme! It doesn't matter if he will or not! Just butt out of my business!' he yelled angrily.

'Suits me just fine, dobe.' Was the cool retort that followed.

'Fine! Just you wait to see the prank work! And then we'll see who has the last word! Hmph!'

Naruto silently fumed while waiting for the jounin to come. When the three genin heard the wooden door sliding open, they all looked at the door, even Sasuke, albeit discreetly.

_Plop_.

.

.

.

_**Team 7 profiles**_

_**Name:**__ Sasuke Uchiha_

_**Age: **__ 12_

_**Date Of Birth: **__July 23_

_**Blood Type: **__AB_

_**Genjutsu: **__B_

_**Ninjutsu: **__S_

_**Taijutsu: **__S_

_**Stamina: **__B_

_**Endurance: **__A_

_**Speed: **__A_

_**Intelligence: **__A_

…

_**Name: **__Sakura Haruno_

_**Age: **__12_

_**Date Of Birth: **__March 28_

_**Blood Type: **__O_

_**Genjutsu: **__S_

_**Ninjutsu: **__A_

_**Taijutsu: **__A_

_**Stamina: **__B_

_**Endurance: **__B_

_**Speed: **__B_

_**Intelligence: **__S_

…_.._

_**Name: **__Naruto Uzumaki_

_**Age: **__12_

_**Date Of Birth: **__Oct 10_

_**Blood Type: **__B_

_**Genjutsu: **__D_

_**Ninjutsu: **__C_

_**Taijutsu: **__B_

_**Stamina: **__S_

_**Endurance: **__S_

_**Speed: **__C_

_**Intelligence: **__D_

…

Kakashi Hatake was a busy man. Heck any one would be if they were one of the most powerful ninjas in the country. He always had a mission to take, even if he had a reputation of being lazy. Thus, the silver haired ninja was totally confused as to _why_ he was going through rookie reports, let alone even agreeing to be a jounin instructor. Everyone knew that this job required patience and understanding and all that. It also needed punctuality, which he was just not cut out to do. Then _why was he?_

Sighing, the masked ninja shook off those thoughts and looked back at the reports of the genins assigned to him. _Sasuke Uchiha,_ the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan,_ Sakura Haruno, _a war orphan from a foreign land and last but not least, _Naruto Uzumaki,_ a loud knuckle-headed jinchuuriki. Just his luck to get stuck with the most disturbed of the crop.

He understood the decision to make them a team. It's not as much as natural balance as much as it is their backgrounds. They all have similar backgrounds. They could relate, eventually forming a great team. But it's easier said than done, he knew. Also, there wasn't that much of a chance that this team could pass his expectations when all the previous teams assigned did not stand a chance. But looking back at the reports he had a fleeting thought.

_Maybe, just maybe, they would prove to be interesting._

With that thought in mind, he made out to their assigned meeting place. Of course, he only set out two hours later; just because he had a team did not mean he had to be a changed man, after all. Though all his slightly optimistic thought went out of his head and annoyance popped in when he opened the door and—

_Plop._

A black board eraser fell onto his head, dust billowing out.

.

.

.

'Gyahahaha! You fell for it! What did I tell ya, Sasuke-teme!' the orange clad ninja loudly exclaimed, gleefully, a finger pointing towards the older man.

Sasuke, on the other hand, completely ignored the idiot and instead looked at the new appearance. _This is a jounin? He doesn't look very reliable._

Sakura decided not to say anything and chose to look at the person's appearance instead. He wore the standard jounin outfit, she realized, but the odd thing was half his face was covered completely. The only thing which was seen was one droopy eye. The other one was covered by his hitai-ate. _Why is his face covered?_ She though with a frown, _it makes him look suspicious… also, what's with his hair?. _She also noted the annoyed expression on his face._ Uh oh, that cant be good._

'Hmmm, how can I say this? My first impression is…' the masked man told the genin,

'I don't like you guys!'

Sweatdrop.

.

.

.

'Okay, let's begin with some introductions. Just say your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that'

The winds on the rooftop whipped through the trees and around the assemblage of ninja seated on the terrace. The silver haired jounin, had taken his new students to the location to become acquainted.

The spiky-haired blonde of the group gave a disbelieving look at the jounin and spoke with a comically suspicious tone. 'Hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?'

'Oh, me?' the silver haired jounin called out. 'My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes.' He continued on in a bored tone, his lone eye drooping, 'Dreams for the future? Hmmmm… as for hobbies...Well, I have lots of hobbies.'

_So… all we learned… is his name…_

'Well, now its your turn. We'll start from you, the orange fanatic. ' kakashi started, raising an eyebrow at all the orange.

The fore mentioned orange fanatic flushed at what he assumed was an indirect compliment and was about to call him a few choice on his hairstyle when he saw Sakura looking at him, urging him to say something. Grinning slightly, he started his introduction.

'My name in Uzumaki Naruto and I love cup ramen! What I like even more is the restaurant ramen Iruka-sensei buys me! What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the cup ramen to cook.'

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this. _Does he think about anything else besides ramen?_

'My dream…is to surpass the hokage! So that all the villagers will stop disrespecting me and start acknowledging me! My hobbies…. Pranks I guess.'

'Well, Naruto,'started Kakashi once the boy had finished, 'it's nice to know that your likes, dislikes, interests and hobbies all surround ramen. What an interesting personality you have.'

The boy's eyebrow gave a series of twitches. 'Hey!, you're forgetting about my dream of being Hokage!" he exclaimed. 'And besides, at least I actually _answered _those questions you asked us, unlike some people.'

Kakashi closed his droopy eye innocently. 'Why, what exactly are you saying-?'

'You know what i-!'

'Let's move on, shall we?' interrupted the jounin. "How about you go next? The pink girl, go.'

Sakura twitched slightly at the name, but nodded, throwing her irate teammate a sympathetic but understanding glance before beginning. 'My name is Haruno Sakura. I have a few likes, and I dislike a few things as well, but those are irrelevant. I, um, I don't have many hobbies, except for training, I guess'. She stopped suddenly as she thought about her goal and whether or not to tell it aloud. She looked up at Kakashi to see if it was important to tell her goal. His one eye was fixed solely on her, not wavering.

_Clearly it is._ Sighing, she gathered her thoughts and tried to voice it aloud.

'My goal is to be the best shinobi I can.' Gulping, she continued, 'I do have… _one _dream, I guess. It's my dream to… find out more about my past.' her voice rang out clearly in the wind and her eyes blazed determinedly as she said her goal aloud.

The silence which followed weighed heavily upon her. But she took relief in the fact that Naruto had grinned at her in a reassuring manner. Kakashi took in the girl's demeanor keenly, noting the straightness of her face and the tightened grip on her black ninshorts as she spoke her last words. At Kakashi's nod towards her, signifying he was moving on to the next, She let out a breath of relief. She never did like being in the spotlight. She would gladly give all the spot light moments to Naruto. At least he would enjoy it.

'Well then,' he continued, his lackadaisical tone still in place, 'I suppose that leaves you. The brooder.'

Sasuke's expression remained stern and somber. ' My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I don't like, and I don't really like anything. I don't have any dreams. What I have is an ambition to resurrect my clan and,' he continued, his voice growing colder,'to kill a certain man.'

It was all delivered in a cold voice, with dead eyes that created an icy aura around him. The hands intertwined in front of his face hid most of his face from view, further enhancing the coldness.

Naruto was mentally disturbed and scared._ He better not mean me…_

Sakura, however, turned to look at him. This was the boy who was her actual first friend, however slight. Now, he was a completely different person. The happy, open boy from childhood was mostly gone, she understood. The words he used to describe his future goal kept ringing in her mind and would not go away. She turned away from the cold _boy_ with an indescribable expression.

_Its just as I expected,_ Kakashi further assessed the revenge ridden boy and after moment, continued where he left off with his trademark nonchalant tone.

'Ok! That's enough of that, now that all the introductions are done, we will start our duties tomorrow.'

'Oh really?!' Naruto yelled, excited at the prospect of a mission. 'What kind of mission?! Huh?'

'We will start this duty,' the silver haired jounin continued,' tomorrow. Just the four of us.'

'What's the duty?! C'mon! Tell me!' the loud mouth practically begged.

'It's going to be a survival test!'

Naruto looked crestfallen, while the other two genin in the team merely looked curiously at their sensei.

'Survival test? Why is our duty survival training? We already did enough training at the academy!' naruto grumbled loudly.

'Oh yes. That. Well, that was simply a means of selecting candidates that _might _be worthy of becoming ninja. As far as I'm concerned, you're still just a bunch of fledglings. And whether or not you make it all the way as ninja or become demoted to academy students again are entirely up to _me._"

A silver of doubt and worry crept into Sakura's psyche at Kakashi's last sentence. She knew he was only trying to scare them, and unfortunately, looking at Naruto's face, it worked. The way he casually threw in seriousness in his nonchalant speech was seriously stressing.

'Don't worry guys. I mean, you won't die! At least you're not supposed to. All the details about where and when and all that are here in this printout.' Distributing the printouts, The man lifted himself off the rail he had been leaning on.

Sakura started reading the kanji on the printout. Third training ground, 4'o', clock _in the morning?!_ She immediately looked at the others to Naruto sporting a clueless expression gazing at the form. She resisted sighing. _The idiot probably confused his kanji._ She then noticedSasuke crunching up his paper in his clenched hand. She wasn't sure what to make of it, so she decidedly looked away.

'Oh and a word of advice: make sure you don't eat breakfast. Wouldn't want you throwing up, now would we?'

The silver-haired ninja brought his hands together into a hand sign and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

The three genin threw each other worried glances before rising. Naruto gave a skyward stretch. 'Ah, I'm not worried about that old jounin. This test'll be a piece of cake. Nothing's gonna stop me from being a ninja, dattebayo!'

"No one's listening, dobe," responded Sasuke, turning on his heels to walk away.

'Grrrrr, no one asked you, Sasuke-teme,' yelled Naruto at the raven-haired boy's retreating back.

Sakura decide she wasn't going to say anything right now to the raven haired ninja. She had more important things to worry about at the moment anyway.

Standing up herself, she walked away from the spot and began walking towards her apartment, her mind in a mix of thoughts that happened throughout the day.

The academy, team assembling, Kakashi hatake, _Sasuke…_

_No matter. Tomorrow is the day that makes or breaks my future. I've got to give it my all. I'm going to be a great shinobi. Just watch… okaa-san… otou-san._

_._

_._

_._

_My humble thanks to—_

_ 2_

_Bbarbie325_

_Sparky_

_AnimeBear _

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	6. Survival and Missions

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto. I simply write the fiction.

_**Legend of a descendant **_

**- Survival and Missions.**

_**-**_ _**"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." **__**Henry Ford**__**.**_

Dragging herself up from her comfortable bed at practically the middle of the night was not a new thing for Sakura. After all, she was used to it. But that didn't mean it was any more fun for her. Stretching and locking her shoulders back in place she gets dressed in her ninja garb and eats her breakfast in a span of thirty minutes, all done almost as if in auto pilot. But then she remembered, a snippet of memory from the events of the previous day triggered in her brain, snapping her awake from her auto pilot daze.

'_Oh and a word of advice: make sure you don't eat breakfast. Wouldn't want you throwing up, now would we?' _

_Great._ Sakua closed her eyes in frustration of forgetting that particular point._ But then again, now I'll have a bit more energy for it._

Making up her mind that it didn't matter much, she left her home and trekked off to the designated training ground. At four in the morning, the sun was still not up yet and the village looked deserted, except for some stray ninja's running some errands for the hokage.

Reaching the designated meeting spot, she was surprised to see Sasuke had reached first._ What time does this guy wake up?_ Not wanting to seem rude, she greeted him lazily. 'Good morning, Sasuke.'

'Hn.' and with that non-committal grunt, he closed his eyes and turned away, leaning on a tree. Not bothering to feel any resentment at his obvious lack of manners or respect, she laid down on the ground and closed her eyes, knowing that she would have to wake up eventually due to Naruto's obvious loudness, whenever he comes.

The ever loud crunching of leaves and gravel under loud footsteps woke Sakura from her light nap.

'Good morning Sakura-chaan!'

Sakura just took one look at him and shielded her eyes for a moment._ Ugh. That orange burns my eyes._

Not giving another glance, she promptly looked to other side and closed her eyes, trying to salvage whatever sleepiness she had left.

Not that easy when the blonde loudmouth never shuts up.

'Where the hell is he?! _He's _the one who told us to meet up at such an ungodly hour and when we do, he's not even here! I can't believe this guy!'

'Naruto, I know, but-'

'But what, Sakura-chan!? He's just a lazy-'

'Shut up, dobe.'

'Grrr. Whaddya say, teme?!'

With Naruto's attention diverted to the usually brooding teen, she closed her eyes but could not go to sleep over the yelling.

_When the hell is he going to get here?!__This is stupid. Naruto's a dobe, Sasuke's a grump and to top it all off, our teacher is an idiot._

_._

_._

_._

_**3 hours later-**_

_Poof!_

'Good morning my little genin!,' The silver haired jounin smiled gleefully.

_Glare_

_That's the best way to start the morning isn't it?_

_._

_._

_._

A timer was placed on a wooden post, with the jounin setting up the alarm. Turning to the genin, the masked sensei began.

'Okay, the timer's been set to noon. Your objective in this exercise is to take these bells from me.' He said gesturing to the bells now held by the jounin, looking at each genin in the eye. The soft jingling of the bells in the wind now caught their attention.

'those who succeed in getting a bell from me will get lunch, the one who doesn't, will not get any lunch and will also be tied to one of these wooden posts here.' The last bit was said almost gleefully. The looks of realization and depression on the genin's faces were very amusing to Kakashi.

Then he abruptly turned somber. 'If you want to win, come at me with the intent to kill. That's the only way to survive in this world, after all.'

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I bet I could beat you with just one hand! I mean, you couldn't even dodge a lousy eraser, how good can you be?!' the blonde yelled at the jounin, boisterously pointing a finger at him.

'…you know, they say that that the dog who barks the loudest has no real bite.'

Naruto's expression was dumbfounded. '… are you calling me a dog?! Alright, that's it! Its time I'll show you my power!' with that said, the blonde rushed forward towards Kakashi, a kunai ready in his hand. And then, in a blink of an eye, Kakashi had Naruto held in a tight grip in a reverse position, with his kunai used against him.

Blue eyes widened part in fear, part in awe. He hadn't even seen him move! A nonchalant voice registered in his awe struck mind.

'Impatient, aren't you? I haven't even said start yet.'

_He's fast! …so he really is a jounin._ The pinkette had watched the whole situation with calculating eyes, but she couldn't keep the awe in her eyes hidden at the masked ninja's reflexes. A hidden smirk grew in the pinkette's face. _This is going to be fun._

'… but, you _did_ come at me with the intent to kill, so, I guess I'm starting to like you guys a bit more.' Releasing the genin in his hold, he moved a step back. All the genin, now in a tense stance, waited for the mark to begin.

'Begin.'

.

.

.

In a blink of an eye, all the genin had disappeared from their previous spots. Though he had expected both the girl and the uchiha to have vanished from sight, he hadn't expected the blonde to have also hidden. He seemed to be a 'rushing in without thinking' kinda guy. After all, the basics of a ninja is to hide yourself well. Maybe he had misjudged him. A loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

'Hey you! Come and fight me!'

And maybe not.

'… '

'I said come and fight me, weirdo!' the orange clad ninja yelled across the clearing to Kakashi. Sakura, in her safe hiding position, under the bushes, looked on indecrulously. She could feel her hand twitching to hit something.

_Baka! Did he not learn _anything_ from me these past few days!? What is he trying to achieve?!_

Sasuke, on the other hand, just leaned back on the branch at the tree he was hiding on and looked on at the scene with disgust and dread at having _him_ as a teammate.

_Che. What a total moron. Though this _could _give me an opening…_

Naruto eagerly looked on at their new sensei as he moved towards his weapons pouch on his leg. Finally a fight!_ What's he gonna use? A kunai? Shuriken? _ He tensed as the jounin opened his pouch and looked intensely at the item retrieved from the pouch.

It was…a book.

Not just any book. _Icha Icha Paradise._

'… eh?!' Naruto had seen that particular book in some parts of the village. The book that somehow turned grown men into giggling idiots. And he knew right then that he never wanted to go anywhere near that book. But even though it made him disgusted, that wasn't the ruling thought in his head. The confusion could clearly be seen on his face.

'Well, what are you waiting for? A personal invitation? Come at me.'

The same nonchalant voice snapped the blonde ninja out of his confused state and asked the question which was on his mind. 'But… hey! What's with the book?! Besides, who reads a stinkin' book in the middle of a fight anyway?!'

'I just want to know what happens next in the story. But don't worry; it won't make a difference against you guys.' Kakashi answered in a bored tone, not looking up even once from the book.

'… '

Sakura looked disappointedly at their new sensei._ Just our luck to have a pervert for a sensei…_

_He could have taken out the book either to feign disinterest towards Naruto to rile him up, therefore making it easier to beat him, or he could have taken out the book purely for reading and he had meant his comment on him taking us on while most of his attention somewhere else. _

_Judging by the intense concentration on the book, my bet is on the latter…_

The pinkette looked away from Kakashi towards Naruto, who was turning an unflattering shade of red. If there was one thing Naruto hated the most, she knew it was when people underestimated him. It was one thing common in both. She sighed wearily.

_Though it seems as Kakashi succeeded in riling up Naruto anyway… this mission is _not _starting off at a good start…_

'I'LL BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP!'

With that declaration, the short blonde rushed towards the masked ninja and started to punch and kick from all ways, in any way he could.

_Punch._ Block. _Kick. _Dodge.

And every one of them was either blocked or dodged with ease by the older ninja. The most irritating factor was that he didn't look up from his book at any time. Not even once.

Gritting his teeth in aggravation, he pulled back his fist and bought it forward to give a punch… only to find air where his sensei previously stood.

'A ninja isn't supposed to get caught from behind, idiot.'

Sakura moved a bit to peer out at the situation. Her brain worked on, analyzing every move.

_He's not able to get a hit anywhere. True, Naruto's form isn't the greatest, but still… and without even looking up from his book at that. He's way out of our league… makes me wonder why he pitted us against each other if we won't even be able to touch him…_

Then she noticed the hand sign her sensei was performing. Her eyes widened minutely in shock.

_The tiger hand seal!? Is he going to use ninjutsu on Naruto?... aren't tiger seals mostly used for katon jutsus? Oh no! He's screwed if he does. And I can't do anything right now. If I do, I risk giving away my position…but…_

Making up her mind, she took her kunai and threw it with deadly precision without making much noise towards the space between Kakashi and the blonde, in hope that they would move away from each other.

Kakashi's eyes widened momentarily at the oncoming kunai and moved back a step to avoid it; however Naruto was too slow to react. Naruto looked back with wide eyes at the kunai that whizzed past him, and then he saw the hand sign his sensei had. It was too late to run away now._ Oh shit._

'Hidden leaf ancient taijutsu supreme technique: a thousand years of death!'

_Poke._

'GYAAAAH!'

_Splash._

_Che. Two moronic idiots. What more do I need?,_ Sasuke looked on at the scene, already annoyed.

_What the-? That was no jutsu! That was just a powerful ass poke!_ Sakura angrily bit down on her lip and immediately got up from her spot under the bushes. Running through the trees and shrubbery, she focused on getting a new spot to hide in._ I'm pretty sure he knows my spot now, that kunai gave it away. I need to find a new spot, fast, before he can find me without a plan._

Climbing a random tree silently, she sat on the branch and masked her chakra as much as she could. She knew it wasn't enough to fool a jounin, but it was all she could do right now.

_As I was thinking, why _were_ we pitted together against such a powerful opponent? He must know we stand no chance against him one on one. Also… there are only two bells. And he said that whoever does not get a bell will be sent back to the academy… as far as I know, all ninja teams must be a three man squad… so that doesn't add up either._ Sakura shook her hair in frustration and closed her eyes. _Think…think! I'm missing something. Two bells. One sent back to the academy. No chance one on one._

_No chance one on one…._

Sakura's eyes snapped open, green eyes blazing in realization. _He _knows_ we have no chance against him alone. But united….maybe. That's the whole purpose of teams. The whole purpose of this exercise. Teamwork. He's testing us to see if we have any chance of acting as a team,_ Sakura realized dazedly.

_I know I've figured it out, but I highly doubt if the others have. After all, I can't do this alone now. But it will be hard convincing the others. Naruto's a 'do it yourself' person and Sasuke's a… well, it's _him._ He would want to prove his strength alone or something of the like. But I have to try. I'm pretty sure at least Naruto would listen._

Now that her plan was settled, she looked around to see if she could find the others. She could sense someone's chakra a bit further from where she was standing. It was faint, but the presence could still be felt._ That must be Sasuke then. Now for Naruto._

_Whizz._

Two shuriken emerged from the water and headed off towards the masked ninja. They were deflected easily though.

Seeing this, the blonde growled._ He isn't taking me seriously!_ He started forming hand signs for his soon to be signature move._ I need him to acknowledge me!_

'I must be a ninja!'

A barrage of orange shadow clones suddenly poofed into existence, all rushing towards the sensei, yelling insults all the way, but every person could easily identify the determination blazing in his azure eyes. 'My secret technique, the Kage bunshin! You better be careful sensei! There's more than one of me now!'

Sasuke, in his hiding spot, looked on at the scene, disbelief lurking in his dark eyes._ 1,2,3..8? what jutsu is this? It's not just an illusion; it's a real duplicate of Naruto!_

Kakashi's lone eye widened._ Kage bunshin…? That's a jounin technique. And not even that many can do it… I guess the kid still has a few tricks up his sleeve._ He smirked under his mask. Standing in his normal stance, he deflected all the blows from the group of shadow clones, while delivering a blow back to each one, making them disappear. While he was kept busy defending and attacking, a hidden clone made its presence known and attacked Kakashi from behind, grabbing him in a hold. Kakashi stiffened, looking at the real Naruto in front of him pulling his fist back.

'Weren't ninja's not supposed to get from behind?' naruto wickedly taunted giddily, using Kakashi's own words against him.

Sakura's eyes widened and her lips quirked up a bit. _You actually used your brain, Naruto!_

'This is for that last jutsu, _sensei!_' Naruto grinned evilly in anticipation. Pulling his fist back, he swung his arm forward with force, hoping he got a real hit this time.

'YOWCH!'

But when he looked on, it was a clone of himself in front of him being held by his clone, with a severe bruise forming on his face._ What the-?! Where is the he?!_

His face, after a few moments, changed from confusion to suspicion. His eye brows furrowed, as he thought._ Maybe… kakashi-sensei henged to look like one of my clones! That must be it! Then that means…_

'Your Kakashi-sensei aren't you?! You must've used Henge no jutsu to transform!' the blonde boisterously yelled, pointing a finger at the clone. And with that, the whole group turned on each other.

'it's you!'

'No its not!'

'You have Kakashi-sensei's smell on you! I knew it!'

'What are you taking about?!'

'….hey, you know, why don't you just release the jutsu, so then only two will remain.'

'… you should have thought of that sooner, you idiot!'

'I'm you, you moron!'

_Poof._

Only the real one remained.

Naruto looked like someone had kicked him in the face. A depressed aura formed all around him. _I think a part of me just died…_

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. _That was kawarimi no jutsu, you idiot._

_Kawarimi no jutsu, normally done by quickly replacing your body with an animal or plant. This will usually confuse your opponent, giving yourself a chance to escape. Kakashi switched his body with one of Naruto's clones. Not only did it confuse him, but it also dealt damage to himself._

'Ehh…' Naruto muttered, confused as to what happened. Looking around, he couldn't see a single sign of his irritating sensei._ What..?_ Looking back at a spot under a tree he had overlooked, he saw something glint in the sunlight._ A bell?!_

Chuckling in glee, he rushed forward to retrieve the bell. 'Hehe… he must have been desperate to escape!'

Just as he was about to make a grab for the bell, he stopped. He couldn't move. Then suddenly, he could feel himself being pulled up harshly, experiencing a sense of vertigo.

'What the hell is this?!' he yelled, swinging from left to right as he was held up from the tree branch with the rope twisted around his ankle.

_A trap obviously. But that jounin, even while playing with Naruto has no openings._ Beads of sweat were starting to form on Sasuke's forehead, feeling the pressure building on what to do against a strong opponent.

Taking his time, the silver haired man came up to the spot where the bell was, and picked it up. From seeing the silver mop of hair from his position above, Naruto yelled angrily, 'You! Ugh!'

'Think before you use a jutsu, or it will get used against you. And also…,' the jounin told the ninja caught in his trap, eyes drooping in boredom, 'don't fall for such obvious traps…idiot.'

'GOD DAMN IT!' the blonde ninja snapped. He'd had enough of his _sensei's_ apparent mockery, with the subject being himself.

'A ninja must be able to see what's underneath the underneath...'

'I KNOW THAT STUFF!'

'Umm…I'm telling you this because you don't.'

All the bantering between teacher and student were ignored because for Sasuke, this provided an opportunity._ He finally left an opening! Now's my chance!_

With five shurikens in each hand, he flung them towards his sensei, the expression on his face fierce. All the weapons were aimed to kill and the target was hit precisely, with all the ninja stars embedding itself into the seemingly unsuspecting masked man.

'Aahhh! Sasuke, you teme!' the blonde ninja screamed, his hands flailing, making himself swing about from his position, 'you went too far this time!'

_Poof!_

The masked man was suddenly replaced by a wooden log, al the weapons embedded into the bark.

_What?! _ Sasuke suddenly caught up to what had happened._ Damn! Another kawirimi. Pathetic! I fell for his trap! _Sasuke had already begun moving from his original spot, his mouth curled into a scowl. _And now, from the shurikens, Kakashi would—_

_-know where he is._ Sakura finished his train of thought. _ Kakashi-sensei had given an opening on purpose._ Green eyes looked around cautiously. A rustle of leaves from her right, above confirmed her suspicions._ That must be Sasuke. He must have realized throwing those shurikens had given away his position. Kakashi-sensei had deliberately given an opening to see if he could lure out one of us… and it worked_

Narrowing her eyes, she looked back at the grounds and saw Naruto dangling from the tree branch, glaring at it as if it was an offending object. Looking at the scene, she couldn't help but sigh._ Might as well help the gaki now and get operation teamwork into action…_

Jumping down from the tree she was hiding in, she ran to where the blonde was dangling and aimed a kunai at the rope holding him up. It hit its mark perfectly, cutting through the rope, dropping Naruto into a less than graceful heap on the ground.

'Eughh…,' groaning, the hyper active ninja picked himself up from the ground, scratching the back of his head and stood in front of Sakura. Pink from embarrassment, he chuckled nervously. 'Hehe… thanks, Sakura.'

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend. 'Idiot. Falling for such an obvious trap! What were you thinking, exactly?!'

'Don't be mad at me, Sakura-chan! It's just, the bell was _right there!_ And… you know how I am…' the blonde replied innocently.

Snorting inwardly, sakura agreed mentally, after all, she was with him the past few and knew almost everything about his_ thinking process._

Shaking her head, the pinkette spoke, 'Whatever. Anyway, I think I've figured out the whole purpose of this exercise.'

'Huh? What do you mean Sakura-chan?' the blonde asked dumbly, with wide eyes.

Sakura then looked at her teammate and friend, with new found vigor and determination blazing in her eyes, and spoke with conviction,

'It means, we are going to go get the bells, Naruto. Together, as teammates.'

.

.

.

'So, what's the plan, Sakura-chan?' Naruto curiously asked, peering over at his best friend, excited at the prospect of getting the bells from their pesky sensei. In his mind, there was no way they could lose, as long as Sakura-chan was with him._ And I can finally take down that irritating silver haired weirdo._

'I've realized that this whole exercise is for us to realize the importance of teamwork. Teamwork is essential for a team to function properly, after all. And also, he can only pass genin in teams. Therefore, we all need to work together to get the bells. All three of us.'

Naruto looked confused for a second, but then dread started seeping in, and his expression changed into one of barely disguised disgust. 'You mean, I have to start getting _along_ with that… that, teme?!'

'Yes.' Sakura answered promptly, not even looking back at the blonde, already knowing how he felt about the idea, but it had to be done. Trekking on forward in the grounds, looking for some kind of place where they could hide, she continued, 'So, you're going to have to suck it up, and cooperate, because I want to pass this test, and I know you want to too.' She looked at him in the eye.

Averting his eyes to the ground, he complied reluctantly. 'Yeah….okay. I'll try to get along with the teme…but only for you, Sakura-chan.' He ended, with a pout on his face.

Smiling a bit, the pinkette spoke, 'That's fine. Thank you. Now, I think it's the best time to plan, since I'm pretty sure Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are facing off right about now. I'm also pretty sure Sasuke won't be able to best sensei, so we'll wait a bit and then go find him.' Pausing, she looked at him, partly annoyed. 'Knowing Sasuke, he would be all sulky and broody when we find him, which will be harder for us to get him to work with us, but…we have no choice.'

Snickering, Naruto gleefully followed his friend, glad that at least she wasn't one of those people who has a deadly infatuation on the teme.

Grinning in anticipation, the blond asked sakura with thinly veiled anticipation and excitement, 'so, what's the plan, Sakura-chan?!'

.

.

.

The first thing Naruto and Sakura saw when they reached the area where sakura sensed Sasuke's presence, was the before mentioned person's head stuck above the ground, with the rest of his body stuck deep in the hard soil. The atmosphere had suddenly become very awkward, where all three genins looked at each other, wide eyed, before the sound of snickering and barely suppressed giggles broke the silent awkward air. And in a way, sakura was kind of glad that the blonde had effectively broken the awkwardness, even if they were now the recipients of the famous _Uchiha death glare, _but she had learned to ignore it easily enough.

'Pffft….ha-ha!...h-hey Sasuke…h-how's the w-weather down there?!Hahaha!'The blonde burst out, unable to control his fits of laughter any longer. Bending down, he placed his hands on his knees to control himself, taking in deep gulps of air before bursting into another fit of laughter at seeing the _oh so almighty uchiha_ stuck in the ground! It was priceless!_ Man! Wish I had my camera right about now…let's see how the fan girls like to see him in this state!... then again, they would probably start squealing about how adorable the uchiha heir looks all confused and bewildered…_

Sakura herself was struggling to compress her laughter from bubbling, but when the Uchiha death glare turned to her, she quickly sobered up and squatted down near Sasuke. Naruto also squatted down next to him with a big uncharacteristic smirk and couldn't resist taunting the guy.

'Do_ you_ need any help, Sasuke?'

Glaring at the baka, Sasuke spoke harshly,' No I don't need _help._ Especially not from idiots like you, dobe.'

Sputtering, Naruto, enraged, began yelling, 'who're you calling a dobe, teme-OW! Sakura-chan!'

After hitting the blonde on the back of his head, sakura stood up and looked down at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow, who was now glaring at her. 'You know, I've figured out the purpose behind this exercise, and its teamwork,' she stopped for a bit and looked at the lone uchiha's eyes when she continued, ' which means, you're going to have to accept help sometime or the other from your _teammates,_ because, face it Sasuke, we _are_ teammates.'

'So are you going to stay there, stuck, or are you going to swallow a bit of your pride and accept our help?'

Even Naruto was quietly staring at Sasuke, waiting for his response. He was still glaring, but now looking at her contemplatively, though knowing he would need help, huffed a breath and uttered, 'fine.'

Satisfied with the answer, Sakura helped Sasuke out of his predicament. Once he was free, she started.

'Right, now that everyone has the _freedom to move_,' which earned her a glare from Sasuke and a snicker from Naruto,' let's decide now how we are supposed to retrieve the bells.'

'I thought you had a plan, sakura-chan.' Naruto asked, confused.

'Yes I do, but I need everyone's cooperation for that. I mean, this plan has a role for everyone. We have to show our sensei that we have some form of teamwork, after all.' The pinkette explained, sighing in the end.

'Che. I don't need to work with you people. Last time I tried, I had touched one of the bells, next time, I'll have one.' Sasuke said, his voice coated with the usual indifference and a hint of a promise.

'Last time, while you may have touched one of the bells, you ended up mostly buried in the ground. So basically, you're right back at the start.' Sakura countered. 'You must have realized by now that, alone, you can't beat him, so, why not try it together? It can't be worse than when you tried alone, now can it?'

Sasuke glared at her, but didn't say anything to counter her statement. Taking this as an affirmative, she began to relay her strategy.

'Okay, listen up…this is what you're going to do, Naruto…'

.

.

.

It was minutes before noon.

All three genin were perfectly hidden, concealed by the thick canopy of trees. All in position, they were ready to try one last time.

Kakashi could sense their chakra's, but decided to play along to see if anyone had come up with anything. A throng of kunai swept on towards the man, but they were all dodged easily enough. A well-aimed kunai whizzed right by his head, missing by just a millimeter, but that somehow looked like it was purposefully aimed to miss._ Why would they aim a kunai like that, unless-?_

Turning back at the right time, he was able to avoid the oncoming log from smashing into him._ Clever, and I highly doubt Naruto thought of these plans, which means-_

This maneuver was followed by the rustling of bushes, and the swift appearance of eight Naruto's rushing at him._ That again? That won't work… the element of surprise is gone…_

'That won't work, you know.' Kakashi drawled out loud.

The clones surrounded the jounin and prepared for the attack. With the book in hand, Kakashi dodged the simultaneous punches from the first two clones and performed a sweeping kick, thus disarming two of the clones, which were easily dispelled. Dodging the next two by jumping up, the two clones were forced to collide, thus subduing them. Performing an axe kick to one and delivering a punch to the head on another, two more were gone. A well-aimed kunai was thrown, and a faint _poof _could be heard behind him, signaling that the kunai had hit the target. Only one Naruto remained on the field. Clearly the real one.

Even though Naruto was upset that all his clones were beat so easily, he wasn't giving up. Bringing up his hands in a hand sign that was becoming very familiar to him, he yelled 'Kage bunshin no jutsu!'

'You know Naruto, using the same technique over and over, makes you very predictable.'

Naruto suddenly grinned. 'Well, we'll see, wont we,_ sensei?'_

Kakashi didn't have time to think about the reason for his sudden bravado, because he suddenly heard the name of a familiar jutsu being called out, right behind him.

'Katon: goukakyu no jutsu!'

He turned just in time to see a massive ball of fire being sent in his way. Hastily, the jounin jumped up, above the range of the fire ball and got down a few feet away. Looking back at the person who performed the jutsu, Kakashi wasn't surprised to see Sasuke. After all, the uchiha was the only one, based on what he knows, who could do ninjutsu._ So, Naruto and Sasuke are working together? This is interesting…_

_Damn it! I missed._ Sasuke grimaced. But when he saw that _Naruto_ was launching an attack on the now obvious powerful jounin, he decided to hang back a bit and only support back up, for now. After all, this was part of the plan._ I hope you know what you're doing._

Kakashi was surprised and curious at the surprising turn of events. For one thing, he didn't expect Naruto and Sasuke, of all people, to work together, and for another, he didn't know Naruto was this good in taijutsu._ Something's amiss here. _

Dodging an axe kick, Kakashi turned to the side, barely avoiding a punch, and used the momentum to give a three sixty degree low kick. Naruto jumped, avoiding the kick and pulled back his left fist to swing forward. The arm was easily caught by Kakashi, who then had to bring up his other arm to catch Naruto's other fist. Now in a tight hold, Naruto was struggling to move, but stilled when the jounin started talking.

Then, Kakashi felt it. The slight disturbance in Naruto's chakra. It was irregular somehow, and it's only that way when doing some jutsu or the like. Most probably genjutsu…which means..

'Nice strategy,_ sakura._ Using a genjutsu to transform into Naruto, thus leaving your enemy confused is a good plan. But unfortunately for you, it didn't work.' Giving up the genjutsu, the form of Naruto dissolved and Sakura was in his place.

Sakura smirked. 'I wouldn't be too sure of that yet.'

This was the cue Naruto was waiting for. Jumping down from the tree he was hiding in, the blonde genin immediately rushed forward for the bells fastened on his sensei's torso. With both his limbs currently preventing sakura from escaping, he realized he had no means of defending himself.

Thinking quickly, the jounin spun, changing directions, forcing Sakura to be in Naruto's path, but did not relinquish his hold on the girl. The blonde couldn't stop fast enough to prevent from crashing into the pinkette.

Not letting himself relax for even a second after their display, he heard before he saw the barrage of ninja stars coming his way. Not having any other choice, he relinquished his hold on sakura. A moment later, all the weapons were embedded in a log. Sakura let out a sigh of relief and sent a small almost unnoticeable glare at the thrower of the weapons, Sasuke._ If Kakashi had just escaped, all those weapons might have killed me…_

But, she had to admit, it was a good thing that Sasuke had thrown them, otherwise she would have still been in his hold. But the plan was entirely ruined. They didn't have the bells.

_These kids…_ Kakashi looked at the three, standing together. He, for one, never had thought that such a combination would work. Naruto, the class clown and knucklehead, Sasuke, the cold and ignorant uchiha heir, and Sakura, the aloof and mysterious foreigner. With a little more work, they could be a great team. Anyone could see that from their performance. _They didn't actually get the bells, but they sure as hell came close…_

Bounding backwards, Kakashi exhaled. 'That was actually close. You three almost had me. Not quite, but almost.' He said coolly.

Naruto glared at his sensei. 'Couldn't you have stayed still for a little while longer?! We almost had those bells, believe it!'

Kakashi's lone eye rested on the blonde haired boy. 'But where's the fun in that?' he spoke mockingly. Sakura was also disappointed at the result, but tried to keep it out of her face, and succeeded. Sasuke, on the other hand, was also glaring at the jounin.

But before the jounin could speak, a kunai that whizzed past his face stopped him. Determined emerald met anticipating sapphire and cautious onyx. A signal passed between them._ Plan B it is, then._

'don't hold back, sakura. I'll do the distraction.' Sasuke quietly warned and stood back. Looking back, sakura acknowledged that with a nod.

Looking at the bunch of genins, he saw them taking a position of some kind. A moment later, three clones of Naruto appeared. The clones of Naruto made a web of hands, with sakura and the real Naruto crouched on top. With a nod, the net of arms shot up and they both were catapulted into the sky.

Kakashi's gaze darted to the genin in the sky, but his sight was blinded by the dazzling rays of the sun, surrounding them, beaming in his direction. It was only because of his keen sense of smell and whiff of charred air, that he was able to avoid the massive fireball that had been approaching him relatively unharmed.

The area where their sensei previously stood had a depression on the land, with charred and burning shrubbery. Sasuke, the performer of the ninjutsu, scanned the field all ways to get an inkling of where their elusive sensei might be hiding._ Left… right…above…front…back…nothing. Then that means…_ a hand grabbed hold of his ankle from below. Sasuke's eyes minutely widened. In the next second, he found himself pulled to the ground, only his head left unearthed.

Kakashi appeared, a mischievous glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips. 'Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu. I must say Sasuke, I'm kind of disappointed that you fell for the same trick twice.'_ Now for the others._

His eyes darted to the figure bounding towards him from above. the figure was hidden partially by the glare of the sun, but he could sense the chakra signature speedily making its way towards him, but Kakashi was quickly able to discern the incoming problem easily, due to years of experience.

Sakura, who was now suspended in the air, was spun by her other teammate towards the direction of their sensei and was now speedily moving towards him, pushing all the of the force of gravity towards her leg, her heel aimed to kick.

Seeing the situation, Kakashi reacted immediately. He swept his palm horizontally, striking the girl's foot, thus shifting the trajectory of the kick. Before she could fall down, she bought one of her palm down on the ground, to steady her onto a half hand stand and brought her leg down to a sweeping kick. Kakashi dodged by jumping up, and before sakura could escape, caught her still suspended leg and threw her, spinning. He made sure to throw her gentler than usual, but the breath was still knocked out of her.

Sakura fell unceremoniously a few feet away, feeling winded. Kakashi looked at her struggling form on the ground, to Sasuke, still stuck deep in the ground._ These kids…they're something else .planning a strategy to seem as if Naruto and Sakura are just for diversion while Sasuke was the main attack, but in the contrary, it was the exact opposite. Sasuke was the distraction while Sakura and Naruto were the main attack. Their strategy would've worked too, if they were stronger. I would've been caught. Now there's one more to look for._

Right on time, Naruto, with a few of his clones, emerged. A left uppercut and a jab hook later, two clones dispersed. As the real Naruto rushed forward, the jounin had no choice but to move back. A cloud of smoke exploded behind the jounin and a clone stood in the place of the tree that was behind the man. Now, the jounin was trapped between two Naruto's, caging him in. _Che, a henge._ Kakashi clicked his tongue irritably.

The blonde grinned. 'I've got you know, sensei! There's no escape!'

Kakashi smirked, 'maybe some other time.' The place he stood suddenly burst into a cloud of smoke. Now, the clone was holding a tight grip on a moss covered log.

Naruto was annoyed. Hell, he was pissed. 'You've _got _to stop doing that!'

By that time, Sakura had managed to get up and help Sasuke off the ground. Kakashi stood at the end of the field, looking at all that happened. _These kids actually put up a fight. They definitely have teamwork. Their bell test result looks even better than mine… I just have one more thing to do before I wrap this up…_

'So, you decided to work together,' Kakashi's loud voice boomed across the now quiet field. 'What an interesting turn of events. I don't recall ever telling you to work together.' The masked man drawled in a low tone.

Sakura was staring at the man apprehensively, but next to her Naruto was glaring at him with unmasked annoyance. 'So?! It almost worked, didn't it? Teamwork was the most probable way to actually stand a chance! So, if you're gonna beat us up over it, then tough luck, because I'm done with this, dattebayo!'

'Also, you never told us _not_ to work together, sensei.' Sakura countered after Naruto's rant with a smirk, something akin to victory dancing in her eyes._ I've… No, we've done the best we can. It's all up to him now…_

Kakashi felt like smiling after Naruto's defensive tirade and Sakura's cheeky remark, but refrained from doing so. After all, there was one more person in this so-called team that hasn't said anything. Turning to the raven haired boy, he continued his angry act.

'What about you, Sasuke?' the group's attention shifted to the uchiha heir. 'Naruto and Sakura have decided. Now all I need to know is what you think. If you get a bell from me, you could be a full-fledged genin, but if you team up with them,' Kakashi said, gesturing to Naruto and Sakura, ' then only two people get the bell, and one _will_ be sent to the academy, and there's a chance it could be you. So, what do you say?'

Sasuke's face remained impassive. Nobody could decipher what the uchiha heir was thinking about. Sakura hoped with all her might that Sasuke could see the answer, put his pride away for a few moments and accept it. She and Naruto tensed, anticipating his response.

'You would think I would do that, wouldn't you? Turn on them? But every time we've been alone against you, we always lost. Given that, I'm done listening to you too. We fight as one now. We'll deal with the consequences later.'

Sakura's focus was now fully on the uchiha, her lips parted in surprise. _That was…very unexpected. And different._ A hint of a smile showed on her face. Beside her, a quiet grin had crept up on Naruto's face and a look of awe and acceptance had graced his blue eyes.

Kakashi gave no emotion away at his unexpected answer. ''we fight as one' huh? I've never heard that before, but… I'm glad. It appears my test was successful. For once.' The jounin then smirked at the perplexed genin.

Naruto snapped out of his puzzlement to ask the question on his mind, his eyes widening in hope as he asked,'W-w-wait, successful? D-does that mean… we _passed?'_

Kakashi smiled, which was understood from the crinkling of his lone eye. 'Yes Naruto, you guys passed. You see, the entire time, the purpose of this test was not to obtain the bells, but teamwork. I purposefully pitted each of you against each other by having only two bells for you to obtain. I wanted to see if you could look past your differences and work together to obtain a common goal.'

He saw the realization dawning on each genin. 'So that's why you asked me if I wanted to abandon them. To see if we could work as a team,' Sasuke pointed out.

'Exactly.' The jounin the looked over at the three genin, each standing proudly, albeit a bit wearily, waiting to hear what he would say next. 'You guys are the first team to ever pass this test. All others never got the main objective behind it. A ninja must be able to see through deception at all times.'

Kakashi gaze then turned somber, and as his eyes passed over them, they glazed over with another emotion they couldn't decipher properly. Was it regret?...sorrow?

'Those who break the rules are scum. It's commonly known. But those who abandon their friends are lower than scum. A team is basically your second family, after all. If you can't work together, then you're a dysfunctional family. You've proved to me today that you have what it takes to work together...'

Naruto looked at his sensei in a whole new light, his eyes showing awe._ He's so cool…_

'This exercise is officially over. You all pass. Tomorrow, this team officially begins its first mission as team 7.'

'YES!' Naruto yelled loudly, enthusiastically, punching the air with his fist, 'we did it! We all passed! We're all officially ninja! I'm a ninja! Ninja! Dattebayo!' Sakura smiled softly as she looked over at the blonde. His enthusiasm was contagious, her emerald eyes burned with joy and relief. Joy for passing and relief that _that_ particular ordeal was officially over. Glancing back at the raven haired boy, she saw that he also had a small smirk on his face.

_Now that it's over, it begins for real. From tomorrow onwards, I'm a real ninja, doing real missions. And my team isn't so bad either._ Sakura smiled softly, as she trekked her way back home, _I can't wait._

_My team-a second family. Maybe. _

_I kind of like the sound of that._

_._

_._

.

**Mission Scroll**

_**Mission rank - **__D_

_**Mission - **__to find the missing cat, Tora- Search mission._

_**Team **__ - Hatake KakashiHaruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto._

_**Meeting point -**__Ichiraku ramen_

_**Client -**__Madam Shijimi_

_**Reward -**__5000 ryo_

…

'Nyaaaa!'

'Gotcha!'

'_Ribbon on the left ear, are you sure this is the target, Tora?'_

'Yeah, we're positive'

'_Good. Lost pet Tora-search mission is complete.'_

'Aaah! Stop the scratching, you lousy, good for nothing cat-ow!oww!OWW!'

…

**Mission Scroll**

_**Mission rank - **__D_

_**Mission - **__Weeding a garden-community service._

_**Team **__ - Hatake KakashiHaruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto._

_**Meeting point – **__Yamanaka flower shop._

_**Client -**__ Akumi Taka._

_**Reward - **__10,000 ryo._

…

'Maa..This is easy, but soooo boring, right Sakura-chan?'

'Naruto, if you don't concentrate on which weeds to pull out, you may pull out something else by accident.'

'You worry too much Sakura-chan!'_ I'm sooo bored. Eh? Sasuke-teme's pile of weeds is bigger than mine. Che, bastard. Hehe…not for long!_

_**2 hours later-**_

'Here you go, Akumi-san! Your garden all weeded out! No need to thank us! We're just doing our job!'

'…Who's the one who weeded out the largest pile?'

'That would be me! Naruto Uzumaki, at your service!'

'Then would you please explain to me why you have pulled out the herbs I were growing for a special reason, HERBS THAT ONLY GROW ONCE A YEAR?!'

'U-umm, w-well y-you see, aaahh!DONT HURT ME!'

'...Idiot.'

_Sigh._

…

**Mission Scroll**

_**Mission rank - **__D_

_**Mission -**__ Dog walking-community service._

_**Team **__ - Hatake KakashiHaruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto._

_**Meeting point – **__Training grounds._

_**Client - **__The Misori family._

_**Reward - **__8000 ryo._

…

'_C'mon_! Nice doggy! Don't go there, please? That's the restricted area, and I'm pretty sure it's restricted for a reason. Oh for the love of- stop dragging me, you stupid mutt!'

_Boom. Crash._

_That's what you get for insisting on walking the bigger dogs, you baka!_

'…Idiot.'

_Sigh._

.

.

.

'Now… Kakashi's team 7,' The Sandaime Hokage was now currently looking at mission scrolls, to assign a mission to the team currently standing before him. And what a team it was. It was certainly an odd batch, but it seemed to work. An Uchiha, a Senju and the fourth's legacy. It would certainly be interesting to watch how their lives would end up. He hid an amused smile behind his smoking pipe. Blowing out smoke, he spoke, capturing the drifting attention of the team.

'Hmmm…babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village and help with potato digging…'

'NO, NO, NO! No thank you!' Naruto suddenly interrupted by yelling and holding his arms in a cross. Shaking his head from left to right rapidly, he spoke, 'I want to do, you know, more incredible mission. Find us another one!'

Behind the blonde, the pinkette and the raven haired boy exchanged an exasperated glance. But they both had the same thoughts as him. The past few weeks had been the most mundane weeks ever. They didn't even feel like ninja's. They felt like they were being punished by making them do chores.

_You know what? You tell'em, Naruto. I'm sick of these routine jobs. I need a little adventure._

Kakashi sighed. _I knew this day would come._ Punching the blonde on the head, he scolded, 'Shut up, you blockhead.'

'Naruto-,' the Sandaime started, 'It seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about.' His gaze turned into professor mode. 'Listen, every day, the village gets numerous requests, from babysitting to assassinations. Each request is written down in these lists and divided into an A, B, C, D based ranking difficulty. The village is also divided based on skill. If the duty is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client. You guys just became genin. D rank missions are perfect for you.'

'—last night, I had pork ramen, so miso sounds good for—'

'LISTEN!' the Sandaime shouted.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. 'I-I apol—'

'Bah! You just give all these lectures like that! But you know what?! I'm not the trouble-making brat I was before!'

Sigh._ I'm going to get yelled at for this later…_

'Um, pardon me, Sandaime-sama,' Sakura interrupted before it could get into a shouting match. All the occupants of the room directed their attention to the girl. Flustered by the attention, she quickly proceeded on what she had to say, 'but I support what Naruto is saying. We really are ready for something of a higher caliber than simple chores.'

The blonde, though surprised, immediately grinned a face-splitting grin. 'Yeah! See?!Even Sakura-chan agrees with me! And I bet the teme does too! So please!?'

The Sandaime looked at the uchiha heir last. Though he was glaring at the blonde for calling him a teme, anyone could see that even he yearned for a more exciting mission. The Hokage smiled a bit._ Naruto, you only used to express yourself through pranks. Sasuke, there used to be no emotion on your face. Sakura, you used to be aloof and quiet. Now, you're speaking up. You're growing up. I guess I have no choice._

'…Fine.'

Sakura's eyes snapped up. Naruto looked on in disbelief. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.

'I'll give you a C rank mission. It's a protection mission of a certain individual.

'YAY!' Naruto cheered in delight. 'Who?! Who?! A feudal lord? A princess?!'

Suddenly, the door was slammed open. All looked back to see who had come in. an old man staggered in to the room, clutching a bottle of something, alcohol, Sakura presumed.

'…What's this?' the man slurred, and then took a sip from his bottle. Disgust flared in sakura's stomach at the sight, but reined it down._ Is this man our client?_

'They're all a bunch of brats.' He then took a good look at them. 'Especially the short one with the stupid looking face. Are you really a ninja?!'

The blonde grinned in humor, thinking the old man was talking about one of his teammates. Hopefully Sasuke. But then he looked and compared._ Wait a minute… Sasuke's taller than me…and so is Sakura… then that means…._ And then his blue eyes turned murderous.

'I'LL KILL HIM.' Fortunately Kakashi grabbed hold of Naruto's jump suit before he could rush towards the drunkard. 'Calm down, Naruto. You can't kill the client. That's not how this works.'

'I am the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna,' the man now identified as Tazuna raised a grey eyebrow and smirked a drunken smirk, 'and I expect you to provide me with super protection until I reach my country and finish building the bridge.'

_So our next mission begins!_

_._

_._

_._

_So sorry for the very late update! Well, later then when I usually post chapters. Chap 6-done. Hopefully I'll post the next chapter by the next 3 weeks. Hopefully you liked this chapter._

_My humble thanks to-_

_Ryuzuki junrei_

_Parpallee_

_Diana-96-Aide_

_Sakura Bless_

_I'llBeYourBeautifulNightmare_

_For either favouriting/following/reviewing my story_

_Constructive criticism or story ideas is appreciated. Please follow/review/favourite._

_-fourthfireshadow-_

_Gaki-brat_

_Dobe-dead last_

_Teme-bastard_

_Baka- idiot_

_Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu- earth style- headhunter jutsu._

_Katon:goukakyu no jutsu- fire style- fire ball jutsu._

…


	7. Complications and Miscalculations

_**Disclaimer-**_ I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I only own the plot.

_You'll see that there is a major change in the plot here. Some may be surprised, some may think its totally stupid, some may think its waay different from the canon, nut I thought it was cool, so I WILL NOT change it. I got the idea from 'Rainy Days'. So the credit goes there._

_**Title-**_ Legend of a Descendant

_**Pairings- **_main-SasuSaku. Side-NaruHina

_**Genre-**_ Drama/Romance/Adventure

_**Extra-**_ please review/ fave/alert!

* * *

**Legend of a Descendant**

- Complications and Miscalculations.

_**-.**_ _**"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." **__**―**__** Eleanor Roosevelt**_

* * *

'Yeahhhh! Let's get this mission started! I can't wait! My first time outside the village gates!' the blonde exclaimed happily, an eager smile setting on his face. After getting out of the village gates for the first time, the blonde had curiously looked on from side to side, in hopes of seeing anything different, though there were only shrubs and bushes present.

Sasuke was following behind in a leisurely pace, radiating calmness but his eyes shone with excitement at being out of the village for the first time. Sakura, on the other hand, though excited at the prospect of a real mission, was not jumping around with joy. This was the first time she was out of _this_ particular village, which annoyingly brought memories. Unwanted memories.

Getting a C-rank mission mean their team stepping up a bit on the metaphorical ladder. She knew it was important for her team and herself to complete the mission. It seemed simple enough, protect the bridge builder. They could handle it, she knew. But she also knew to keep her guard up.

'Humph. What's the shrimp getting' all worked up for?'

'It's the first time I'm leaving' the village, so I'm excited. Sue me!' the blonde retorted, not even glancing back at the old drunkard, still taking in the scenery around him, which wasn't much. Sakura looked at the man who they were protecting. He was an old man, though not weak, she could see the slight muscles on his form. To be a bridge builder, he would have to be fit. But he was a drunkard, she knew, from the bottle of sake he held in his hand. He may have a respectable position of authority from where he came from but he certainly doesn't look it at first glance.

The bridge builder continued as if he wasn't interrupted, with a slight unnoticeable slur and rosiness on his cheeks, 'it's bad enough that some snot nosed brats are the ones protecting me, but now I have to listen to the orange kids' yammering? Not really feeling confident over' here.'

'Hey! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it! And one day, I'll take over the super elite ninja title of Hokage!' he yelled, pointing to himself with his thumb.

The old man peered at the short blonde ninja from under his straw hat and over his glasses. 'The hokage is the village's leader, isnt it? I doubt you would be the hokage.'

Naruto's patience snapped. Before Sakura could even utter a word, the blonde yelled back, 'Shut up! I will do anything to become hokage! And when I do, you'll acknowledge me old man! Believe it!'

Tazuna took a long swig from the clay sake bottle and corrected his askew glasses. He spoke as he sauntered by the orange clad ninja, 'I don't think I'll acknowledge you even then, you runt. The hokage is supposed to be the leader of a whole village. Powerful and smart. Do you really think I believe that a short pipsqueak with no brains and a loud mouth is supposed to be the hokage?' the old man wheezed a laugh, 'give me a break!'

'…not gonna be hokage…_pipsqueak?!_ Lemme at him!' the blonde seethed and dove for the old man's back but Sakura caught Naruto by the back of his jumpsuit before he could do any damage. 'Naruto! Control! Remember what Kakashi-sensei said? To protect, not destroy?'

'Yeah, yeah. I know…' letting out a long suffering sigh, the blonde deflated and shrugged out of the pinkette's grip, all the while mumbling under his breath about ways to shut the old man permanently.

Sasuke eyed his teammate with unmasked annoyance, while Sakura looked at her teammate with something akin to exasperation. She could understand his indignation, but he should learn to control or rein his temper in. _can you ever not make a scene, Naruto? Is this one of your traits?_

The next few minutes were passed with relative silence and peace. Sakura watched as Naruto got over his temper tantrum and ventured ahead of the team, trying to act as the leader and lead the team. Only, he was going the wrong way._ What are you trying to prove, blondie?_

Sighing, she corrected the blonde, 'Naruto, you're going the wrong way. Left leads to the land of earth. Not mist. We should go straight.'

The blonde hesitated for a split second before he swerved to the right direction, trying to pull off a nonchalant expression, but failing miserably. 'i-I knew that. I was just checking…something.'

The candy-haired girl raised an eyebrow. 'Right.'

Kakashi looked at the girl sideways. 'How did you know that, Sakura? Did you learn the map before coming? Or did you know already?'

'I did look at the human, but I did know about the directions a bit before too.' She answered after a moment's silence.

'So, how do you know about it, Sakura?' Kakashi questioned again. Sakura could feel a bit of annoyance creep into her mood. Why is he questioning her now?_ Why the sudden interest, Kakashi?_ And now, she could see both her other teammates looking at her, their curiosity piqued. She was a bit unnerved to be under their scrutiny, especially Sasuke's. And then she realized that Sasuke was looking at her, as if she was of interest, for the first time. She didn't even know why she was realizing that.

'Um…I've sort of passed this junction before, years ago.'

'Wait. So, you've been out of the village before, Sakura-chan?' Naruto asked, his blue eyes questioning.

'Yeah. I had only come to Konoha when I was about 7 or 8.' She answered quietly, not wanting to disclose anything more, at least not to Sasuke or Kakashi.

'How come you didn't tell me that, Sakura-chan?' she stared at him, his blue eyes in slight confusion before turning away. She could also sense her other teammates gaze on her, but didn't acknowledge it.

She ignored his wounded blue eyes, because she didn't have anything to say to that. Anything nice, anyway._ Why would I, Naruto? We may be close, but we're not that close…_

She decided to change the topic by asking Kakashi question she wanted to know from the moment this mission started, 'uh, Kakashi-sensei, aren't there any ninja's in wave country?'

The jounin glanced at her sideways, his one eye drooping in his signature boredom, before speaking, 'no, not in wave. But…in most and so do ninjas. Countries…the customs and cultures may be different, but hidden villages _do _exist. And so do ninjas.'

_okay. So that's that._ With that, conversation ceased as the started moving forward. All of a sudden, Sakura felt a droplet of water fall on her hand. Looking at the wet spot on her hand, she looked around for any source, when she felt another droplet fall, this time on her face._ What the-? Is it going to rain?_

No sooner than that thought entered her mind, rain started pouring, lightly at first, but gradually increasing._ It never rains at this time! Not a heavy rain, like this one! _

All of a sudden Kakashi's hand gripped Sakura's bicep and he twisted her body, just in time for her to catch sight of a kunai skim passed her nose. She slipped her hand into her weapons pouch and took out a kunai. Sakura instantly caught sight of several more shuriken spinning their way, and on instinct, she parried all the weapons thrown her way with a kunai. She knew she wouldn't be able to block the group of shuriken spinning her way, so she grabbed her own cloak from around her shoulders and swung it in a circle as the shuriken were about to hit, capturing them in the folds of the thick material and effectively stopping them.

'Kakashi-sensei! Sakura!' they heard Naruto yell, followed by Sasuke's growl of frustration as he pulled the blond over to dodge a few more kunai thrown at him.

She heard the sound of metal chains whipping, before she turned around to see the enemies—two of them, she realized—wrap the chains around the unsuspecting Kakashi. Her eyes widened as she ducked under a stray kunai.

Naruto's voice reverberated n her head, 'Kakashi-sensei!'

The chains were pulled and everyone watched as Kakashi was torn to ribbons by the chains. She watched in morbid dread as blood spattered over Naruto's face, his expression one of horror. She snapped out of her dread quickly as she saw a cluster of kunai's and shurikens headed to his back. Thinking quickly she kicked his legs and he slipped down quick, due to the mud, effectively dodging all the lethal weapons. _We've got to snap out of this quick! _

She looked at Sasuke, to see how he was dealing, and was satisfied when he was still thinking clearly, dodging the weapons seemingly coming from nowhere. _Though it'll be harder for Naruto. First time seeing death…_

The problem was because of the rain. Sakura had already deduced that these enemy-nin used the rain as a sort of coverage for their attacks. Smart, but it was not in the teams favor.

'Is that all you've got?!' a voice shouted. Sakura's eyes quickly moved. _Left._

'You're strongest man is down.'_ Above._

Then she heard the splashing of water. The enemies were going to one direction. _but where—Tazuna!_

Her green eyes widened as she whipped her head back. She got up quickly, leaning to the left to dodge a stray kunai and ran to the client. She wasn't about to make in time!

A body flickered in front of Tazuna as he warded of any projectiles quickly. _Sasuke._ Sasuke leapt into action. Throwing a ninja star, he pinned the whip like chain to a tree, effectively cutting off their use and leaving them weaponless. From then on, he looked to be in his element.

Sakura breathed in relief. Tazuna was fine. But she did notice Sasuke was having a bit of trouble in locating the enemies. She was too. She was getting tired; she knew this battle had to end soon.

Naruto eyes still shined with horror at what had happened. Sakura hastily moved the wet hair clinging to her face and looked on. Sneering, she snarled, 'get up, Naruto!'

They had no time to be weak.

She hastily swiped off the hair in front of her eyes. They were dripping with droplets and were clinging to her face, distracting her view. They had no time to lose, no time to spare. They were on their own.

Looking back, she saw Sasuke finally locate his opponent and their fight was on. It was awe-inspiring, really. The way he moved quickly and with ease, making it look easy, even though he had just as much experience in this as she had.

Quickly rushing towards Tazuna, she held two kunai's and stood prepared. Her green eyes bolted left. _There._

She released her kunai with deadly precision, for a genin. She heard the _clang_ of metal against metal and immediately bolted towards the sound. 'Did you think it would be that easy, girl?'

Mud was thrown at her eyes. She yelled out, half in annoyance and half in pain at the substance in her eyes. It stung, but it wasn't enough to take her down. Quickly wiping it off, she looked around for some kind of weapon frantically. Her eyes finally landed on a metal chain lying on the ground._ Must be from the enemy Sasuke defeated. _She heard rather than saw the rain-nins footsteps as they slashed through the clearing. Her eyes widened, in fear and her pupils dilated. _He's going to Naruto!_

Not giving it any more thought, she quickly picked it up, grimacing slightly at the weight. Then she threw it straight at the rain-nin. Predictably, the rain-nin caught the end of the whip easily and snorted. 'What was that?!' he asked mockingly. Her eyes narrowed._ His guards down. Now._

With that, Sakura pulled the spiked and ragged chain with all her might. The chain ripped the rain-nin's hands to shreds as they passed with impressive force and the nin screamed out in agony. The sound was horrific. Naruto closed his eyes as he heard the dreadful sounds.

The scene was silent, except for the sounds of rainfall and the rain-nin's labored breathing. Sakura wanted to look away, but couldn't. Her eyes were fixated at the enemy nin's hands, in morbid fascination. The steady flow of blood, her green eyes unwavering. _I did that…?_

Suddenly Kakashi appeared in front of the bleeding enemy and knocked him out by hitting his temple with the back of his kunai. He was out cold in an instant. Naruto jumped in fright as he saw his sensei appear but he sagged down in relief. _It wasn't real. He isn't dead. _

The rain slowly started to subside to a slight drizzle and after a few moments of silence, the skies became clear and the sun's rays were bright and shining._ How ironic that the sky turns bright and clear when the atmosphere right now is thick with tension. Gotta love the weather._

Kakashi's lone grey eyes passed over Sasuke, then Naruto, and then finally Sakura. She refused to look at him. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't look at anyone right now. Her fists clenched unconsciously and she winced at the stinging pain she felt. Looking down at her hands, she saw streaks of blood. Her blood was mixing with the water, turning it into a pink hue. Her flesh was also ripped. Not as bad as the rain-nin's, but it was. The pain was finally registering._ How did i…not notice that? Was it because of the adrenaline?_

Taking the rolls of bandages she had packed, she wrapped them around her wound slowly, all the while reflecting on team 7 as a whole. The blonde had a disconcerting look in his blue eyes, she noticed, while looking at the raven-haired boy. Like envy. And then he looked at her and a different emotion passed. Almost like…regret._ I wonder what he's thinking about…_

She stopped her wrapping when she saw Naruto walk towards her. When he reached, he said, 'I'm sorry for freezing up, sakura-chan. I wanted to help so bad, but I couldn't move. I know ninja's are supposed to see this every day and get used to it, but…this was my first time.' His voice had choked a little bit, no doubt remembering what happened, but then his eyes cleared, a surge of blazing determination passing through them. _How is Naruto so serious…?_

'But I promise, Sakura-chan, I'll work harder, from now on, I won't need rescuing and I'll be there for my team. And I promise that from now on, I'll have your back. Believe it.' his blue eyes were ridiculously, uncharacteristically solemn. She searched his sincere blue gaze and she found her own eyes misting over. The face, the words… it was a blast from the past._ Takumi…it's like…you're actually…_

His drawn out sigh brought her back to the present. He had his personal goofy smile on his tanned whiskered face and she slowly smiled back. This was her friend. Her first friend. This was Naruto, her rock. _How can I not smile with him? _

Dropping the nins in a nearby area, Kakashi walked back to the team and faced them. And then he spoke, 'all I can say is well done. It was great quick thinking on both Sasuke and Sakura's part, but you're teamwork was sorely lacking. I admit, I am sorry for leaving you three to protect yourself. And even if all of you weren't ready,' –a glance at Naruto, who cringed—'you did your best. I wanted to see who they were after, and it was clearly obvious that they were after you, Tazuna-san. I do believe you owe us an explanation.' His lone gray eye was trained on the nervous bridge builder.

The old man huffed a breath and looked around in nervousness before finally speaking 'I guess I have to tell you now, don't i?'

Naruto snorted at that, 'no shit,old man.'

That broke the tension as it brought out a chuckle from the pinkette and a small barley there smirk from Sasuke. Then all the attention was on the bridge builder.

* * *

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* * *

The five-some stopped and found shelter under a batch of trees. Luckily, the rain had stopped altogether. The bridge builder had told them the story. The nins were after him, making the mission way more difficult and dangerous than intended. It had jumped up to a B-rank, possibly an A-rank mission.

The team was still going forward with their mission; the alternative of Gatou gaining more power was not a possible option in their eyes.

Sakura was more watchful of her surroundings, some would say paranoid, which she was a little bit. But she also had a lot of things in her mind. About failing. About dying. About not completing the mission. But most of all—

Sakura had slowed down, walking a few paces behind her teammates. She was staring at the ground, her thoughts in a jumble.

_I severely injured a person. And I didn't even think before doing it. is that bad? Am I unstable or something? I willingly… and I hurt myself too…_

Her fist unconsciously clenched, the harsh sting making it's up her arm.

'You're wounds are bleeding again.'

Her eyes widened as she looked at the person who disturbed her from her thoughts.

'Kakashi-sensei.'

'A ryo for you're thoughts?' he asked in a curious manner, his eyes focused ahead.

Shaking her pink head, she answered 'my thoughts aren't worth a ryo, sensei.'

'You'd be surprised, actually. Anyway, what's the problem? You seem to space out.'

Her green eyes widened. She didn't know it was that noticeable. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words followed. What was she supposed to say anyway? That she was freaked out at her body responding like that?

'…is it about what happened earlier?'

Her wide eyed gaze slid over to her sensei. Seeing the look in her eyes, Kakashi realized he had it right. She slowly averted her green gaze.

Finally facing his student fully, he replied in a somber tone 'Sakura. I know that you want to blend in, but its life or death. Don't think when you fight. Just fight. Live first, and worry afterwards. That's the way it should, alright? You did nothing wrong. If anything, I have to commend you for your instincts.' He ruffled her hair and walked ahead.

Honestly, Kakashi's words did little to make her feel better. She knew where he was coming from, and yes, survival was more important, but she still couldn't shake how it felt when she let her body go when she fought. It was fluid and mindless and all on instinct and reflex, almost primitive and very tough. She didn't like useless violence. She was a pacifist. She knew that and she didn't like the way she gave in to her instincts like that.

But she knew it was necessary. Naruto was in danger.

_Maybe it could be taken in a different way. I fought like that to protect my friend. So basically, if I hadn't, then he would've been hurt. Which is a worse scenario._

That made her feel a bit better. She wasn't crazy, or she wasn't a killer.

She was a protector. That sounds a lot better.

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* * *

The bridge builder seemed tenser as they traveled deeper into the Wave country. He had not taken a sip of sake since their arrival. Sakura could not suppress the satisfaction his anxiety gave her. The man deserved to be afraid. Although his intentions were admirable, it did not change the fact that he had lied to them, and endangered their lives because of it.

Sakura hated being lied to.

'Everyone, get down!' boomed Kakashi.

All of them swept down right as a huge metallic sword flew over their heads, its blade getting lodged in a tree's bark. A second later a tall ninja stood on top of the handle staring down at them. He had cropped dark hair, his face covered in a mask of bandages and his eyes shining with malice and dark amusement. He looked like an evil predator. Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she saw the look in his eyes. The same look—

'Ah. Zabuza Momochi of the Hidden Mist, isn't it?' announced Kakashi lackadaisically, 'a missing-nin.'

Her green eyes widened. _Rouge ninja?!_ She turned for a second towards her sensei. He looked visibly tensed, and she had to stop herself from swallowing loudly. _I-I've never seen him so tense. So he must be dangerous.._

Naruto visibly perked up at the sight of an enemy._ Finally! My chance to shine! Who cares if he's a missing-nin? This'll be my chance to better than _Sasuke _and look cool in front of Sakura-chan_, _dattebayo!_ Just as he was about to run at the tall half-naked guy, he was stopped, by none other than Kakashi.

The blonde looked up, annoyed 'Kakashi-sensei! What's the matter?!'

Kakashi answered quietly, not looking at the genin, 'you're in the way. Get back. He's not like your normal enemy. He's on a whole other level.'

His lone grey eye narrowed. _If he's our opponent, I may need my extra ability._

'Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. Did I get that right?' the rouge-nin spoke in a rough, raspy voice. But that wasn't what caught their attention.

Sasuke's eyes widened and turned to look at Kakashi with an odd look. _Sharingan?! What-what does that mean? The sharingan is a special ocular jutsu that copies and analyses jutsu in the uchiha clan. My clan._ He tentatively looked at his sensei who was looking at the enemy._ Could he be—?_

Sakura also looked at Kakashi for a moment._ Sharingan is an Uchiha ability. Why would he have a nickname like that?_

'it's too bad isn't it? Now, give me the old man.' The mist-nin—Zabuza—spoke again, with a hint of mocking.

'Quick. Get into battle formation now! I've taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it!' Kakashi yelled.

The next few minutes of the battle would forever be ingrained in Sakura's memory. The battle was icy and cold and ruthless, and she hated the feeling of helplessness. The battle was filled with icy intentions, both opponents trying to one-up the other. They seemed to be an equal match, but she kept faith in her sensei. They seemed to have a personal vendetta against each other.

A few moments later, the field was covered with thick mist. It blocked everyone's view of the battle.

'_8 points.'_

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. Naruto yelped and Sasuke flinched.

'_liver. Jugular. Larynx. Spine. Lungs. Sub avian arteries. Kidneys. Now, which would be my attack point?'_

Sweat broke out on her forehead. She could hear only her own breathing and her heartbeat, which was steadily increasing in pace. Her green eyes widened. Her pupils dilated. She looked down at her hand holding the kunai. It was shaking. She fought the gag reflex at the chilling atmosphere. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth._ Intimidation. Its o-only intimidation. Don't close your eyes, he could be anywhere!_

She forced her eyes open slowly and took slow breaths. It was working. That's when she saw the kunai near her was shaking too._ Sasuke's._ She looked at him. He looked petrified; his eyes wide and form trembling. She knew what he was feeling all too well, but didn't know what to do to snap him out of it.

'Sasuke, Sakura. Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you guys.' Both genin turned towards the voice. 'I'll protect you guys with my life.'

'I wouldn't be too sure.'

From then on, it was battle. She was beginning to think that maybe the mystery of her sensei's sharingan could be forgotten if it could help them out of this mess. Kakashi was able to see clearly even with the mist. It seemed that the sharingan could see through any visual obscurity. _He's…powerful. Way more powerful than I imagined._

The vision of the genin and the bridge builder were blocked by the mist, the only sounds hear were the clangs of metal against metal and the splashes of water. She uselessly clenched her hand around her kunai harder. Gradually her sight became clearer, accustomed to the fog, her hearing keener. But then her sight was not one she wanted to see. She could feel the dread seeping in.

Zabuza had his large palm against a huge ball of water, her sensei trapped inside it. Sakura couldn't stifle her gasp. Neither could Naruto.

'Everyone, listen to me!' called Kakashi's gurgled voice within the sphere. 'This battle is over. Take Tazuna and run away now!'

The genin all stood frozen in place. Their truest hope of victory over this madman was suddenly gone, encased in a sphere of water as hard as metal. But despite the hopelessness of the situation, how could they run? How could they desert their sensei? Sakura knew the answer— they couldn't.

'He's using every ounce of concentration to keep me in this prison. Any water clone he creates cannot venture far from his body. You must use this chance to run now!' Kakashi's distorted voice reached out.

Sakura could feel Naruto trembling beside her. She could feel herself start to tremble too. What happened to her level head? Her calm? It seemed like she had none left. She had to pull it together.

The girl shifted her gaze to Sasuke. Their eyes met, her grave expression mirrored in his. But they both knew what the other was thinking. _No matter how far we go or how fast we run, he'll track us down and slaughter us. Our only chance of_ _survival is to free Kakashi-sensei._

'We've got to do it. We have no other option.' Sasuke bolted toward the water prison without waiting for anyone else. 'Sasuke wait!' sakura yelled out, but it was lost on the boy. A newly formed water clone of Zabuza standing in his way. The Uchiha fired a barrage of shuriken before leaping into the air to launch another attack. The clone swept the shuriken away with one swing of his sword. In the same sweep, he used his other hand to catch Sasuke in mid air, choking him in his grasp.

Sakura didn't think she would have any chance in beating this monster, and if the boy genius himself were having poor results, it just dwindled her chances even more. But she could feel the sharp focus bleeding into her aura. One of her few rare traits. Her mind was calm, calculating, _dangerous now._ She exploited Sasuke's distraction and charged toward the sphere, kunai in both her hands. This action was not missed by the clone as it flung Sasuke aside and dove for her. The sword came in an arch toward her and she blocked it with her own kunai with a loud clang. The force, the pressure was a lot for her to block.

Now she was stuck, her body shuddering against the physical strain of his locked weapon. The clone retrieved a curved dagger with his other hand, and the kunoichi had one guess as to what he planned on doing with it. Her eyes narrowed in response. She could feel her energy draining, stamina was not her forte. She slid her kunai away and back flipped as fast as she could, but she could feel the whizzing of air as the monster brought down the dagger and closed her eyes tightly.

But instead of hearing the tear of blade against flesh, her ears registered the clank of metal on metal. Her eyes snapped open as she landed on her feet to find Naruto, sapphire eyes focused intently on his enemy, no fear visible in them, his hand still in the air. His eyes were still watching their foe with unwavering resolution and determination. He would keep his promise. He would not allow his comrade to fall.

A whisper of movement on her other side caught her attention as a blur of blue whizzed past them, its trajectory being the real Zabuza. "Demon Wind Shuriken!" Sasuke revealed a large, black shuriken and launched the spinning weapon toward their adversary.

The path was dead on, its target being Zabuza. Without his clone to protect him, the blades would have to hit Zabuza, unless the ninja released his hold on Kakashi and escaped. But when the weapon neared connecting, the rogue's free hand shot forward, catching the shuriken.

The man chuckled, tossing the blade back at Sasuke. The Uchiha slammed his kunai into the weapon, causing it to ricochet toward Zabuza'a clone. The water copy retracted his blades from Sakura and Naruto, leaping over the three genin to avoid the assault and repositioned himself between the Leaf ninja and Kakashi. The three genin scrambled backwards to regroup.

'What are you doing?' yelled Kakashi, eyes wide in disbelief, sharingan still spinning. 'This fight was over the moment I got caught, now get out of here!'

'No way, sensei,' cried Naruto, no tremble evident on his body. 'The day we became genin, we all promised to never forsake our comrades no matter what. You taught us that.' The boy glanced at Sakura then turned back. 'And I made an oath to never again abandon a teammate. I never go back on my word, sensei. Believe it!'

'Listen to me; you were not brought here to prove how brave you are. It was to save the bridge builder. Now stay on mission and take off!'

Naruto blinked back, the realization that another life was also in their hands donning on him. 'B-Bridge builder?' He turned a hesitant gaze to the old man behind them. Even Sakura had forgotten about the charge, her nerves still buzzing.

'I suppose this is my fault isn't it?' he said somberly. 'My desire to live is what got you all in this mess in the first place. So go...' The genin stared back at him. 'You heard me, go protect your sensei!'

Sakura felt a tug of admiration for the man, grateful for his sensitivity and self-sacrificing attitude toward them. Maybe he wasn't that much of a deplorable human being after all. Sasuke and Naruto turned their focus back to Zabuza, one with a grin and another with a smirk..

Sakura knew they were ready to continue the fight, almost eager. But they all understood that they had to play things smart.

'Whatever attack we make on Zabuza,' started Sasuke, 'it'll have to be while his free hand is preoccupied. Otherwise, any distraction on the clone is pointless."

'And it's not like we can defeat the clone and then go after him,' continued Naruto. 'He'll just make another one.'

Sakura rested a pensive hand on her chin in thought. _Think!_ _We probably could not defeat his clone either way. It may not be extremely durable, but it still had the skill set of a jounin. And this guy was a known assassin. No way would he fall for the same tricks. _

_Also, Zabuza would be expecting them to distract the clone again and make an attempt on the prison. What they needed was a way to make him drop his guard and get close enough to him at the same time. But he wouldn't expect three measly genins to have a grasp on teamwork. Till now, we've all done singular plans…but if we actually used the play we did in our bell test…we should—_

'—Beat the water clone.' she breathed, the whispers of a plan already forming in her head.

'What?' Sasuke asked quietly.

'We should beat the water clone. Wipe him out.' Sakura repeated. Looking at the confused look on the blonde's face, she started to explain. 'Naruto, you play a key role. Make as many shadow clones as you can. I was thinking to re-enact the plan in our bell test.' She looked expectantly at Sasuke.

He had a small smirk on his face. 'shadow clones might just work. He may fall it for a second, but in that second if he leaves the prison, then…'

'yeah!' Naruto whispered enthusiastically, hands already doing the seals for shadow clones. 'let's get the show on the road!'

* * *

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* * *

A barrage of shadow clones blaring in orange poofed into existence, all of them stampeding towards the water clone. The clone only looked surprised for a moment, before it moved into action. The clone started to fight back, nearly defeating all the Naruto clones, but more took their place. Suddenly some of the clones stared to turn on each other, making the brawl look disorganized.

Sakura ran towards Tazuna, standing before him with two kunai clenched in her hands as her body stayed on guard.

The real Zabuza chuckled, looking on at the scene amused. 'are these the brats who are going to save you, Kakashi? I wouldn't count on it.'

'idiot! Move.' was the only warning Sasuke gave to Naruto, before he threw a barrage of shurikens towards the Zabuza clone. The clone deflected it all with his own kunai, but Sasuke was not deterred as he quickly formed the seals needed before he yelled 'Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!'

The fireball went straight toward the path of the clone, but the clone jumped and avoided it at the last moment. Sasuke breathed out, his eyes following and hands tensed.

The Zabuza clone landed near to the real one. The real Zabuza laughed a throaty laugh that sent shivers in the genin. 'Is this how you plan to free your sensei? You Konoha genin are pathetic.'

In that same breath, the Zabuza clone turned and performed a sweeping attack with his large blade. The rogue's sharp reflexes allowed him to avoid it as he jumped up and grabbed the clones neck in a vice-like grip. 'what the—?'

His beady eyes widened as he saw a windmill shuriken come at him again. But then he smirked and dodged the shuriken pretty easily. That's when he saw the second shuriken hiding in the firsts shadow. _A shadow shuriken?_

Zabuza focused on the clone in his grip again, but was surprised to see his own smirk mirrored in its face.

_Poof!_

The clone transformed back into the pink haired girl. She was struggling in his grip, but she still managed to shoot him a tired smirk._ What the-?_ He looked at the pink haired girl near the bridge builder in confusion, only to see the form poof into a familiar orange genin._ A shadow clone…_

'Now!'

That was the only warning he had before a kunai headed straight for him. On pure reflex, to avoid the projectile, he let go of the girl and jumped high. He looked back in pure anger and saw that the blonde genin was the one who threw the weapons. _The water prison! The brat made me..!_

On pure animalistic instinct, he took one of his own shuriken and threw it straight at the flailing blonde genin. Only to be blocked by the infamous Kakashi Hatake himself.

_So that was their plan. Distracting me by having the girl transform as my clone and attack me, then the boy transforming himself as the second shuriken… a sneak attack. They had me set up from the beginning…_

Sasuke pulled Sakura up from the water. Panting, sakura laid on the ground for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. Lack of oxygen for so long made her a bit dizzy. She squinted her green eyes as she looked on at the battle commencing between her sensei and the assassin. She smiled tiredly at the dripping wet Naruto and Sasuke, proud that they had accomplished what they had set out to do— free their sensei.

And judging from the grin on Naruto's face and the self-satisfied smirk on Sasuke's face, she knew their thoughts were running on the same wave.

By the time she fully regained her senses, the battle had already been won, due to Kakashi's dangerous sharingan powers and quick thinking. This made her wonder how powerful her sensei actually was.

Zabuza was reeling from the explosion of water, his frame wavering against the tree he had just been slammed into. Before Kakashi could deliver the final blow, a pair of senbon needles flew onto the scene, lodging into the rogue's throat with deadly accuracy. Zabuza collapsed instantly, his eyes frozen open as his lifeless body slumped onto the floor.

The Leaf ninja scanned the trees for the source of the surprise attack, anxious to determine whether this assailant was friend or foe. They could never be sure, this sakura learned fast. And if it was a foe, she wasn't sure she could keep up.

One man—_boy _stood calmly atop a tree branch, his face hidden under a mask which Kakashi knew were meant for tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist. 'Leave this to ume,' assertedthe boy. 'Zabuza is a missing-nin of our village. And so it is our duty to rid the world of him.'

Sakura gazed up at the shinobi in awe, turning back to the motionless form of Zabuza on the ground. _They ended him, a jounin-level ninja, in one single blow...while we couldn't even land a proper hit on him. And he looks like he's our age. _Her gaze shifted to her teammates, their frozen faces revealing that they sharedSakura's sentiments. Kakashi, however, remained fixed on the tracker ninja.

'If you do not believe me,' he began, his tone more diplomatic and soft, 'you can ensure he is dead yourself before we dispose of the body.'

Kakashi approached the limp lump of flesh, checking for a pulse but finding none. 'He is indeed dead. This is, as you said, your business and we'll leave you to your work.'

He landed beside Zabuza, lifted the body with ease and vanished along with his companion in an instant.

Naruto's eyes remained transfixed in the direction the trackers disappeared off to, his fist balled at his side. Sakura pursed her lips, more with unease and from her peripheral vision, she saw he was scowling. _Maybe in suspicion…_

Kakashi concealed his Sharingan behind his headband, turning to the group. 'All right everyone, our mission isn't over just yet. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge, after all. Time to move ou-'

The jounin's body suddenly spasmed in place, his speech interrupted. His students watched him with concern, but before they could ask him what was wrong, their sensei fell ungracefully to the ground.

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End file.
